One of my observations of teenagers during my teaching years was how quickly they defaulted to a position of, "This is boring" when confronted with something new. I suppose this was a defense mechanism of sorts for dealing with the fear and frustration of facing new or challenging material.

I don't know why I've never relied on "this is boring" as a way to cope with things I don't understand. I suppose it's because I like the challenge of learning about something new. Some folks think opera is boring, for example. Well, I'm no opera expert, and I don't listen to opera often, but I'm captivated by opera as a medium for storytelling. It makes me want to understand it better. Even when I'm at a pop concert (I recently saw Lindsey Sterling), I'm drawn in not only by the performer, but by the staging, lights, choreography... all of it.

The world is not a boring place. There's just too much going on that is new and interesting for anybody to complain about being bored.

I believe the world is interesting right where you are, even if it's easier to be drawn in to places that are new. In the spirit of "The world is not a boring place," here's a look at someplace close to home for me, a scene from Quarry Hill Park in Rochester, MN. Get out into the world, interact with people, try something new that you aren't good at, listen to live music, create your own art.