I’m a big believer that boredom is the greatest evil to be avoided in life. Fortunately, kids make it hard to be bored if you step back and observe them for a moment.
Kids are weird. I think they’re a lot weirder than the average human. It’s best when they’re just doing thier thing unaware of the broader, more normal world. I was struck with this again today when I finally stopped getting irritated that they pretty much tear up everything in the house and surrounding area and just watched them.
My son was playing Mario Maker and shouting, “This is Sparta!” by himself in the living room. I didn’t want to interrupt this important activity, so I stepped outside to see what the girls were up to. They were selling things. On the curb. On a cold, sleepy Saturday morning in late October.
The older was sitting in a chair behind an overturned storage bin that had a display of assorted garbage from the garage and a few leaves and a giant pitcher of water. The younger was sitting on the wet grass beside her with one arm through the neck hole on her T-shirt. They were apparently waiting for customers.
No one knows why kids do such weird things. It’s best not to ask but just take it in. I won’t find it so interesting and fun later today when I’m trying to negotiate the cleanup. But right now, I can’t help but marvel at the not-boring oddness of it all.