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 One of my first lessons in my perceived boredom, and announcing it to the world with a big sigh, came from my mother. I must have been around 10 years old. It was summer. My best friend was on vacation somewhere so, of course, I believed I had " nothing " to do. I was moping around the house, whining and sighing " MOM... I'm SO bored !" over and over...plopping down on the sofa...sighing again...changing chairs...being an obnoxious " bored " 10 year old.  My mother, who was never bored...was in the kitchen, probably making tuna fish, wasn't responding to my exaggerated theatrics, was just doing her mother thing. Finally, after listening to my lamenting for, god knows how long.., ( and she was a patient woman ) I heard her on the phone with our older next door neighbors.  " Norma, it's Ida. Would it be alright with you and Jack, if Randi came over and mowed your lawn. She's walking around the house complaining she's bored with nothing to do. "  WHAT !!!
Sparing you the details...soon I was mowing their lawn, raking up the mowings, edging the sidewalk and thinking about HOW I had gotten in this position... But Nawney, as I called her, was bringing me out lemonade and cookies, telling me to "take a break, honey, "  and Uncle Jack, as I called him, was coming out and telling me what an excellent job I was doing, and how much he appreciated for " wanting " to do this for them.  And pretty soon I was feeling good. I definitely wasn't bored. And what I learned at that young age and continue to do to this day is that there is always something to do and someone to help.  And all I have to do today is walk outside or pick up the phone.  There is always something to do, someone to help or a phone call to be made that might simply bring a smile to someone's heart.  After returning home, that's just what my mother told me.  " You were given the gift of waking up and the ability to get up...so don't waste it by plopping around this house doing nothing but complaining.
Because if you can't find something to do...I will find something for you to do..."  now, go wash up, come sit down and have some lunch. While I was mowing their lawn, my mother had made me macaroni and cheese (extra soupy). My favorite !  More delicious proof to me that, every day, there is always something to do to make someone else feel good. Sometimes it is called paying it forward but my mom called it, paying it back. Paying life back for this incredible opportunity to be here.