Spare time

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June 19, 2010

Column by Swanson Traylor

Swanson Traylor Jacksonville Daily Progress The Jacksonville Daily Progress Mon Jun 21, 2010, 10:34 AM CDT

JACKSONVILLE — Summer break makes me think about spare time. Kids and adults are always saying they need more spare time. We tend to complain about not having enough spare time, and gripe about being bored when we have too much. Many people have a whole bunch of different ways to spend their spare time. You’ve finished your homework, done chores, etc. What do you do then?

I believe most kids, and even adults, would say TV. A few would say sports, or video games.

My dad often tells us great stories about his childhood adventures . He and my Uncle Rick would take their BB guns and just go looking for snakes or, as my dad says, “evil birds”, to shoot when he was a kid. In fact, my dad describes a time when a coachwhip slithered at them, rearing it’s head. Dad said the two of them yelled and screamed and shot it in the head many times. In the end the coachwhip was killed by a flying BB, and all of the excitement subsided.

Events like that where it’s you instead of a made up video game character, would seem to be more fun. You’re the one with the gun, you decide whether that snake lives or dies, you’re the hero— that is a million times better than playing a game based on it. That’s what I like about owning a BB gun. I am in the action, I get to actually be the good guy or bad guy whereas a video game grows old and boring eventually. A BB gun lets you get outside in nature and have a few adventures yourself.

Today, my little brother likes to play in the woods behind our house. I like to read and draw. We both love basketball and football, especially when our older brothers are around .    All of these activities with so little time - time that can be used wisely or completely wasted.   I guess there is merit to also using spare time to just relax – seems like many people today don’t really know how. All of their time is “booked”…every minute is busily spent running from one “important” event to another. I think sometimes it is important to just let your mind wander.

During the school year, I have realized that filling my spare time was very simple. Summertime makes it a little more complicated. My little brother Joe has spent much of his spare time with a new BB gun and is so proud that he’s killed a cottonmouth and a copperhead already this summer.   I am enjoying having more time to sketch and draw cartoons   - one of my favorite hobbies.   Spare time, no matter what you do with it, offers free and unlimited possibilities. Use them.

I want some of my spare time to be more glorious than sitting and watching a cartoon character try to sell me stuff these days. I wish we had more opportunities to go different places instead of being home all of the time.   Although, come to think of it, whenever I’m away from home, that’s the place I want to be.    I doubt most kids today will have exciting (and no doubt told more dramatically as they get older) stories to tell their own kids. Being a pallid, pale –faced couch zombie isn’t very exciting—seems like a waste of time from most people’s perspectives. Why not try being the main character yourself instead? This summer, I hope to do just that.

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