Boring!

...So we were driving along when the boys were very young: me, Grannie Tee (my wife’s mother), and the two boys, Adam and Bryan.

Grannie Tee was visiting from Tennessee and riding along with us on an errand. As the car tires rolled, Grannie Tee unfolded one story after another. She was excited to be there, excited to have someone to talk to, talking away, talk, talk, talk—assuming we were hanging on every word. 

I had tuned her out, my mind was wandering as I drove, the boys were totally quiet in the back. The only sound was the stream of chatter coming from Grannie Tee, to which none of us were paying much attention. 

This went on for quite some time, until a sound exploded out of the back seat, like a lightning bolt!  

At the top of his lungs a young voice bellowed 3 times, "BORING! ...BORING! ...BORING!"

I was shocked out of my daydream and instantly realized 10 year-old Adam in the back seat had heard all of Grannie Tee he could stomach and was announcing in no uncertain terms that he had heard enough!  

I glanced in the rearview mirror to see Adam's younger brother, Bryan, laughing uncontrollably. Adam was just smiling a very satisfied grin. 

I was about to drive off the road in hysterics wondering how Grannie Tee is going to respond. She, of course, somehow never heard this coming out of the back seat or ha dno idea what this sound was and proceeded to ramble on as if nothing had happened or was happening—oblivious to our out-of-control laughing.  

Periodically, at about 15 second intervals, we’d hear another, "BORING!" like clockwork, chime out of the back seat, all the way home. Granny Tee busily continued to talk away—to no one. 

This little incident sure made the trip go a lot faster and all these years later I can still remember it clear as day.

The point of the story is this: If you want people to pay attention to what you’re saying don’t be BORING!