When I was really young, on rainy days when my friends couldn't come outside to play, I used to tell my mother that I was bored and I couldn't find anything to do. My mom, the all-knowing one, would tell me if I couldn't think of anything else to do, she could think of three bathrooms in our house that needed to be scrubbed. Amazingly enough, when faced with the prospect of cleaning toilets, I could always find something to keep me busy.
This skill of being creative in finding something to do comes in especially handy now that I'm older, as I haven't whined about being bored in my spare time since my mom's ultimatum. Now that the dreary February blahs seem destined to last until June, all I hear from kids is how bored they are and that they feel that winter will never end.
To address the first issue: Bored because there's nothing to do in February? There has been more happening in February than in any of the other months. With the senior class acoustic concert, the Taming of the Shrew, a rave party at the Son's of Norway, basketball playoffs, wrestling divisionals and volleyball matches, this has been an action-packed month. If school functions don't seem exciting, there is always bowling, baking cookies, or renting movies with friends. When we can't think of anything else to do, my friends and I occupy our nights trying to memorize entire dialogues from the epic movie Top Gun. Hey, at least it keeps us off the streets and out of trouble.
The second issue: Does it seems like winter will never end? The great thing is that there is still some winter left. There is still time to make one more trek up to Big Mountain to ski or snowboard, enjoy another snowball fight or build a snowman. Soon, the sweltering summertime will be here, and people will be cursing the heat and saying they can't wait until winter comes again.
The reason students get so restless at this time of year is because seniors realize they only have a few months left of high school, and juniors and sophomores are remembering they still have a year or two more. Students have to use those creative minds and be imaginative to make the most of the last part of the winter. If all else fails, and they can't think of anything else to do, they can always come over to my house. I'm sure my mom would appreciate some help cleaning the toilets.