Bored (Neal Porter Books) by author/illustrator Felicita Sala is a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection. It is beautifully illustrated, honestly written, contains moments of giggles, and is definitely not boring.
On page 1, readers meet Rita, gently created with mixed media of watercolors, gauche, colored pencils, and oil pastels. Rita is bored, bored, bored, bored, capital-B Bored! With each page turn, Rita attempts various ways to address her boredom, but everything is just so … boring. This gets Rita wondering about all of the other bored people in the world. Wondering leads to imagining, which leads to something that’s anything but boring.
In a way similar to Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak, the reader starts in our world, but when imagination takes over, wild things happen. Unlike the world Sendak created, however, Sala does not whisk us off to a land of monsters, but rather to a land of invention, creativity, and discovery. What happens in the land where bored people go highlights all the wondrous things that can occur when we let ourselves get bored. The call to dinner reminds both Rita and the readers that we are still in the same boring day, same boring place with the same boring pillows. Yet, something has changed, Rita has discovered that letting her imagination soar changes bored to busy.
As I write this, Massachusetts kicks off our spring break. My children are going to say “I’m bored,” at one point or another and will likely look just like this image of Rita slung across a chair. I am often inclined to fix their lamentations. “I’m hungry,” I meet with options of food to eat. “I’m cold,” will get me to pass them a blanket. After reading Bored however, I’m reminded to not jump into entertainer mode when I hear the words “I’m bored.” Bored is not a problem. It’s a blessing.
This invitation to boredom isn’t just for children though. I will try to practice what I preach. As a writer, the best ideas blossom when my mind can wander, but I’m really good at filing my time. There are closets to be cleaned, laundry to do, dinner to prepare, and blog posts to write. This week however, I’ll accept the invitation to imagine, to wonder … to get bored.
Not sure how to be bored in a world of constant stimulation? In this article from Harvard Business Review by Arthur C. Brooks, there are some ideas for how to get bored and why it is truly important. I do find it hard to be bored at home, but ideas like driving alone with nothing to listen to but my own thoughts is something I can do. My husband thinks I’m crazy, but I also workout at the gym without listening to music or podcasts. One of my favorite creative times to let my mind wonder was to lay down with my youngest as she drifted off to sleep when she was little. Lying there in the dark with white noise and a warm snuggle was where some of my best thinking happened. Boredom is where my stories do their best percolating. So when you are done reading this post, I hope you have a really boring day!
WRITERS' RUMPUS 