Sometimes boring is good

From Instagram: #TBT to the positivity and joy finding @TowsonRocks on campus. #TUtogether @towsonuniversity

Boy, do I feel dull lately. I think we’re all feeling a certain ennui these days. This past weekend, I had some nice conversations with friends. “What’s new?” “Nothing much.” Yet, we talked for a long time, mostly about nothing. I offered up the two most exciting things to happen over the weekend: (1) I learned what an interrobang is, and (2) I went to the supermarket where I saw a guy wearing a motorcycle helmet instead of a mask. My one friend told me that her husband saw what might have been a groundhog on their porch and that it scurried away. That was the best she had. It made me think of a great tip that my husband gave me years ago on how to add excitement to a story that is going nowhere. You know the kind—in your mind it is fully formed and riveting. But as soon as you start down the path of telling the story, you realize that it is dull, boring, and not captivating in the least. How do you get yourself out of such a quandary? As soon as you realize that you are losing your audience, you conclude, “…and then, there was a knife fight!” It saves the story each and every time. A knife fight is exciting! Just saying that phrase will bring everyone out of their stupor with a chuckle. They didn’t expect that! I went to the supermarket where I saw a guy wearing a motorcycle helmet instead of a mask. And, then, there was a knife fight! Okay, not really—but see how much more exciting that is? In the spirit of “no news is good news”, sometimes boring is good.

Stay safe and healthy,

Tracy Jacobs