Embracing Boredom

During these oppressively hot days in the Midwest, it's important to have meaningful experiences. Some folks would give in to the heat, closing the doors and windows and sucking in refrigerated air while drinking various liquids and watching TV. My daughter and I did that yesterday, having chosen our favorite liquids. We soon lost interest in the TV and chose to play "Words" at the dining table on our respective iphones. In an attempt to prevent me from concentrating on the game, she presented a performance of a dancing wine opener.

Her need for diversion coupled with her attempt to distract me reminded me of the days when my brother and I would entertain each other in the back seat of my mother's 1948 Studebaker Champion with the itchy seats. We had only one toy, a round gray accent pillow that had lost its feathers and had the profile of a frisbee. (Yes, in 1948 pillows had feathers in them.) We fought boredom during endless rides by making "Guess what this is?" pillow sculptures for each other. At the time I thought it was hilarious when he pinched a golf ball sized of material at the top of the pillow and held it up for my guess. I knew immediately it was my mother's best friend who was decidedly overweight. From that day on, our back seat toy was referred to as the "Mrs. So-and-So pillow."