What happens when life takes an unexpected turn and we need something out of reach? Do you pause and think, panic or reach for the phone?
Necessity makes a Naked Woman
Learn How to Spin
~ Danish Proverb
What is life if our best-laid plans are not to be laid aside?
~ Arundhati
Boredom teaches us that life isn’t a parade of amusements.
More important, it spawns creativity and self-sufficiency
~ Pamela Paul
Thanks to Leggy Peggy and
www.nytimes.com/2019/02/02/opinion/sunday/children-bored.html
Does your world fall apart? Or do you see it as a challenge?
What do you make of this week’s sayings?
Everyone’s opinion is valid.
What is yours?
I invite you to leave a comment or share your views on Sunday Sayings.
Words of Wisdom
Several years ago, I created ‘Proverbial Friday’ on my blog. I became fascinated with traditional proverbs, quotes and sayings, their metaphorical layers and the many different interpretations found within just a few, succinct words. I marveled at their ability to transcend race, religion, opinions and age.
They offer us knowledge; knowledge that is passed to us in much the same way relay runners might pass a baton. Once it’s handed over, it is up to us what we do with it and how we pass it on.
They are invariably Something to Ponder About
Something to Ponder About 
Necessity will be weighed against inertia, and learning to do without may win.
Plans going agley or laid aside are both highly negative.
Boredom can be addictive.
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Interesting comment, Colonialist! Boredom may well be addictive. That facet of the personality where we get used to new and exciting things can be addictive too, enhancing the tendency to regard mundane, routine activities as boring. One of my children used to complain about having to clean his teeth everyday as it was soooo boring having to stand there doing nothing but brush for 5 minutes. ( First world problems, hey). The consequence of not cleaning his teeth and valuing that task became evident after a number of months when his gums started to bleed! Consequences are the cure for complaints. Boredom also has to be ownded. No one person or authority, government is responsible for providing entertaining things to do. As a Danish king from centuries ago, it does keep the population happy if you do so, but on a daily basis, it is one’s own responsibility to make your own fun! A lesson some younger ones still have to learn, or at least learn the best way of doing that. (ie fun within the rules)
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Even the best of plans should always consider, that life rarely last forever. Live as if each day might be the last one.
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That should always be factored in, Gerard! But we don’t always remember it. I think it gets a bit easier to think like this when we get older. Death and old age, seems so far removed from us, when we are younger.
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Thanks for sharing the link to the article on boredom. Goes to show it’s not as bad as people think. As for the challenges that life throws out, I try never to panic. Adrenaline can help, but panic usually doesn’t.
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Boredom spawning creativity is a good consequence.
You make a good point in that if we can harness Adrenaline in a positive way, in a panic situation, it can be helpful.
Perhaps I need to panic a little when it is time to do my housework? Lol!!
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Oh my gosh, that first one made me laugh out loud. Yes, if I was naked, I’d figure out how to weave something to keep me warm in a darn hurry. Even if it was my hair. Necessity is the mother of invention as they say.
As for boredom, I don’t know what that feels like. Neither do my children. They were taught early to find a way to keep themselves occupied productively or I’d find something for them to do.
We often say make plans and watch God laugh. I’ve never had plans that worked accordingly. That’s where flexibility comes in very handy. My heart breaks when I see people lose it because their plans went off the rail. They always do. 😉 So much to learn from them going wonky.
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Hey Marlene, I have to confess I used to be one of those people who didn’t know how to cope with the plans went awry, but I was aware it was unhelpful and definitely not healthy and so I decided to change. As we have spoken about before, I found it is preferable and easier for everyone if we look at problems as an opportunity to solve, or a personal challenge, that will sort itself out one way or another. I have survived every plan that has gone awry up til now, so why get upset about it not sorting itself now? So glad I am not so phased now.
I am glad the Danish proverb gave you a chuckle. That means you ‘got’ the message loud and clear! Perhaps we need problems to solve?
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No thanks. No more problems for me.;) Just vast array of experiences. Have a wonderfilled week.
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No we should not invite problems. But could humans ever live happily eliminating every problem. Of course, this is hypothetical. It could never happen.
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The Universe grows out of desire and the overcoming of what is. It would cease to exist without things to want to make better. Learning to accept that makes life a whole lot less painful. 🙂
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Well said!
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Hihih, I really like the first one. 😀 It makes me grin. I’ll repost it one of these days and link to here.
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The first one is light-hearted and in being so, gets the point well and truly across. The person who told me this proverb, reads this blog, so I hope she gets a kick out of seeing how far the resultant smiles (from the proverb), have spread! I am more than happy for you to repost, Manja. Thanks in advance.
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A thought–provoking post with hmmmmm-worthy quotes! And that first Danish quote made me laugh!!!!
When the girls were little, we didn’t have a whole lot of rules for them. The few we did have included: 1) no sticking fingers into electrical sockets, 2) “stupid” is not a word we use, 3) no complaining about boredom.
With regards to the 3rd, we encouraged them to find ways to entertain themselves or alleviate their ennui. Basically, I don’t abide with whining, and that strategy seemed to work after many false starts.
A few decades down, I have come to appreciate that this state of “boredom” is actually a wonderful opportunity to daydream … something we cherish very much in our family.
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Thanks for raising an important point, Ju-Lyn. The distinction between boredom and letting one’s mind drift. Too much of other is not good, I think. OUr mind needs down time, but not so much that it sends us nuts. (For example locked in a refugee camp with little resources and restrictions of movement.) Both aspecct of which we can control or at least take responsibility for. The opportunity to let one’s mind wander without structure can lead to creativity, and problem solving. This is where boredom can be positive! So perhaps the issue with boredom being a negative matter is the way one reacts to it; one’s attitude. Attitude can determine the merit of any activity, can’t it? Your attitude was not to complain about boredom, and as such shut down whining. Whining serves no purpose other than as a plea for help and expressing one’s laziness about managing a situation pro-actively. Shutting down whining must have meant the kids had to come up with a solution to it themselves, or internalize it. A healthy child won’t internalise it for long. I do remember feeling a bit bored as a child, but it wasn’t for long. I do think it is a part of life we need to experience so as we know how to deal constructively with it, whether that be to daydream to remember, to create, to problem solve, to meditate or to rest. Is your boredom creative or solution focused?
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Thank you for your always thoughtful and considered response, Amanda. This is one of those topics which warrant much conversation as we all will process just a little differently.
I still remember when I used to take the LONG flights from Singapore to Dallas (almost 30 hours back then), with no devices to entertain, nor individual video consoles on the plane. It was just books and the imagination!
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In some ways, we could say that they were thr good old days! But I don ‘t deny there are lots of advantages to shorter flights. Funny how we sort of expect all those choices when it comes to in flight entertainment, nowadays. When we are in fact spoilt/blessed.
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Absolutely! Having said this, I still spend most of my longer flights catching up on sleep – time passes so much quicker this way!
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If I have a night flight and can sleep, it is fine. The last night flight I had from Japan, there were two toddlers screaming for 8 hours…. I was a bit flaky the next day!
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