The cure for boredom:
is from the book Die Empty: Unleash Your Best Work Every Day
by Todd Henry.
He is primarily talking about business or work applications, but I thought this one applied to our kids too.
Boredom is an essential part of the recipe for creativity.
Unless we short circuit the process by offering our kids (or ourselves) the distraction of video games, movies, or other passive entertainment.
(P.S. That's a stock photo from Pixabay. Those are not my kiddos in the above picture.)
This book is great so far, and Mr. Henry is filling up my commonplace book. Here's another quote I loved from the beginning of the book:
Cultivating a love of the process is the key to making a lasting contribution.
What I'm Reading
Recently Finished
The Language of Food: A Linguist Reads the Menuby Dan Jurafsky. A fun but knowledgeable look at words and food (two of my favorite things on the planet). Do you know what fish sauce and ketchup have in common? Or why we eat toast for breakfast and give toasts at special occasions? What about the relation between salad, salsa, slaw, and sauce? You will after reading this book.
The Heroes' Welcomeby Louisa Young. By turns brutal, lovely, moving, and graphic. The aftermath of war isn't a pretty subject but this author tried to handle it honestly and sensitively. (Bonus points for the fantastic cover.)
Remember: you can always find my complete 2015 reading list on this page:
Recent Kindle Additions
None. No Kindle deals have jumped out at me and I haven't borrowed any others from our library's digital program. If you know of a great Kindle deal, do share in the comments!
Current Read Aloud
Still reading through Betsy-Tacy and Tib. My daughters (8 & 10) are loving it (it's a re-read for the 10 year old). I think they're well written but I'm about to confess what may be an unpopular opinion: I think Betsy is the least likeable of the three girls. She strikes me as bossy and a little bit spoiled. (Please don't throw stones. I really do love the books. I just don't love Betsy.)
Current Book to Review
My copy of Savor: Living Abundantly Where You Are, As You Areby Shauna Niequist arrived yesterday. I can't wait to dive into this one. (It's written as a daily devotional but I plan to mostly read it straight through for review purposes. I can't wait an entire year to post my review.)
I'm also supposed to review Go Ahead & Like Itby Jacqueline Suskin, but it hasn't come in yet.
So, what are you reading now?
Linking up with:
Even if they're not your kids, that's a great graphic!
Ludwig's How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare is $1.99.
Is this the book that Sarah and Mystie and Brandy all recommended so highly? I keep meaning to add it to my list. Those are two spectacular, get to the heart of it quotes!
Oh "love of process" and "applied curiosity" are so good! I started Die Empty, but couldn't get into it...maybe the time is ripe for another try.
Yeah, I've had it for a while. It's not inspiring me to burn through it, but every so often I pick it up and read a chapter. I always find something interesting so I'm not sure why I'm not loving it more...
I read Being Mortal. It is a book about aging and dying. I know it sounds morbid, but it was a fantastic look at some of the questions we should ask each other and ourselves.
Have no idea where I read this but it was a scientist (??James Watson) who commented that he and his friend discovered stuff because they weren't distracted by the entertainment kids have so readily at their disposal. Their time is filled up with this entertainment and they don't get curious (or bored) enough to really look into other things - something to that effect.