The Art of Boredom

A Classroom, a Loop, a Choice

“Welcome class. Come in. Have a seat, or lie on the floor if you prefer. You can sit cross-legged too, or even with your legs out. Either works. You can actually sit, lie, stand, or do some variation. Your body position is like an open canvas. Your limbs, head, and torso are like the paints in a palette.”

“Excuse me, sir. Excuse me, teacher.”

“Yes.”

“When are you going to start the class?”

“Well, son, it has already started.”

“There are chairs and benches for your use too. And that table in the back is up for grabs. But please let’s avoid a stampede. I don’t want to see any of my students get trampled today.”

“Oh, and by the way, I almost forgot. Don’t forget to breathe. And this is a bonus. You can actually change body position. Do you know what I mean?”

“No,” asked a shy redhead lying on her back.

“Well, you can, for example, go to another place in the room, bend a limb, turn your head. Stand.”

“And this is the fun part. You can do that as often as you like.”

An older man with a long gray beard got up and started to dance.

“Haha, that’s it. You can do continuous movement too.”

The redhead got up and started moving her hips.

“No hula hoop required,” laughed the teacher. “That’s it. You are getting it.”

Then the boy who had asked when the class was going to start got up and started jumping up and down, clapping his hands.

“Jumping jacks! Now that is inventive!”

“Oh, and here is a really fun fact. Once you are done with continuous movement, you can sit, stand, lie down again, et cetera, et cetera.”

“It is like a loop. The fun part is you get to decide. The ball is in your court. Understand?”

All the students nodded their heads enthusiastically.

“But how do I know when to stop?” asked the redhead, barely getting the words out between her hip swirls.

“That’s the best part of all,” declared the teacher triumphantly.

“You just do.

You just will!”

A story by Pemba Umoja