Boring

Sit right down and… You finish that statement. Go ahead! It’s your turn to offer up some wisdom.

Years ago, I’d sit right down and write you a letter!  On the portable typewriter no less. Pounding away and mostly getting the strikes right without too many erasures or strike-overs. Of course typing a letter was saved for times when the clackety noise wouldn’t disturb anyone, at home or in the dorm. Computers make this a silent task and much more quick. Speedy and with spell check no less.

Google helps today’s writing assignments as well. You know the topic, even some of its terminology but lordy not all of the pieces are there. A Google peek straightens that out in a flash. Not only that, but Google will give us more factoids and environmental flesh to spice up our original written piece.

So, I’ve sat down and written the letters now. You didn’t have to! And I even attempted writing other essays, blogs, articles, think pieces and, yes, even a few sermons! The latter were the most difficult. Too much thinking on display. And it had to mean something to everyone listening. Even those who didn’t want to listen, and there are always some of those around.

The writing is in place. The check book is balanced. Other assignments are prepared and ready to go on the appointment day and hour. So here I sit. Not a lot to do. The mind ranges to other thoughts easily, but the return trip doesn’t always settle easily. I have wanderlust. It is summer. No snow or ice storms to impede travel. Just thunder storms and heat, and lots of sunshine. Yes, it is that time of year our minds yearn to wander to other places. The places are fun destinations, or at least interesting ones. But for me it is the journey that is most important. Movement down the road, you know! Stopping for gas in little out of the way places. Finding a diner or family restaurant for basic meals. Maybe a meal with a classic cheeseburger, fries and a chocolate milk shake? Even a place with wobbly stools and a counter to eat at? Aromas of grilling fat and aerosols of grease? Yum. Just like the old days where every eatery was a surprise because they were not a part of a chain operation.

And the roads. Some were bumpy, twisty, fast and slow. Narrow, of course, with shoulders right there next to the pavement. Trees and vistas of rivers, rocks and mountains. And willows, and cottonwood trees.

I remember going through small western towns on family vacations when I was a kid. Some of those villages had imposing, two storey brick schools with snaky pipes leading out of second floor windows. And mom told us those were fire escapes, or storm escapes! As a Minnesota farm girl mom tended to think in terms of tornadoes. But as westerners we could only think of fires and earthquakes.

Little towns with quaint downtowns, sidewalks and shops, and a bit of bustle to the locals making the rounds of their errands. The smell of cooking food was never far away until we headed out of town on the way to the next spot on our itinerary.

We have a theme of travel at our church this summer. The sermons are focused on journeys to other places and we are asked to return home with a refrigerator magnet of our travels. Those magnets we will post on a banner at the front of the sanctuary. And I think of my past travels when such magnets were not at all available.

Come to think of it, there are no magnets for us because we are not going anywhere this summer. After all there are no magnets for what we call home. Just he glue of everyday life. That’s magnet enough. At least for us these days.

So, with no where on our itinerary, and the letters and blogs posted, what is there to do? What will we fill our time with?

Huh? Any suggestions? We’ve read books. We’ve watched enough TV. Naps no longer refresh.

We need something else to spice us up!

July 9, 2015