WildernessPunk: What’s Up
I was thinking about how I started WildernessPunk eight, wow, eight years ago. Back then I had lost my boys, my job and everything I owned. I was living out of my backpack and spending most of my nights in the forest. Also, back when I began writing WildernessPunk, it was more of a journal in many respects. I spoke of my daily trails and tribs as well as my numerous travels and adventures, for as I have often said, the people who enjoy the greatest freedoms are the ultra rich and the poor with no strings and obligations.
While I was thinking about how WildernessPunk was originally more personal, I wondered if I could make it so again, but then realized for the present, at least, it remains a poor idea. It isn’t like I don’t have loads of fun and excitement or at least I feel like I do, it just seems like, despite its high points, my life has drifted back into more of the mainstream. Yep, that’s what taking care of two kids full time will do to you.
This in turn got me thinking about social interactions. Have you ever had someone ask you, “Hey, what have you been up to,” and have a hard time answering? You feel like you’re busy and doing a lot, but when someone asks you for a highlight, you realize you can’t think of anything notable enough to answer. You end up scrapping through the last two weeks to try to find something new to discuss or a funny story to tell, but they seem lackluster.
I like to think of myself as a stand up, interesting, funny, and exciting guy. On the day to day, I’m always busy, rarely doing anything like watching television or the like except maybe the last hour of the day while I’m winding down. I haven’t played a video game in 23 years and have started new and continued with many of my older hobbies. I stay creative starting and finishing projects and attempt to help others do the same.
Still, the most productive day in the world can sound boring to your buddy.
AB: “I had a rocking day yesterday. I wrote seven pages and finished a new awning.”
Buddy: “Nice.”
Perhaps it comes down to, and part of me thinks this is sad, human interactions. Humans like hearing about humans. They don’t want to hear too much about a cool lizard you saw, or how you turned a sofa into a table, they usually find the argument you heard in the Safeway parking lot more interesting.
What is interesting anyway? I guess we all think different things are interesting. But even if poker might be one of your favorite things in the world, but you might still not want to listen to another ‘bad beat’ story. Let’s try to break down what might be the general things which most people could consider an interesting topic to discuss.
Ear Perking Topics:
- Humor
- Stories involving aggression
- Relationship tales, but usually the worse the better
- Bad luck and injury tales
- Crime and drug stories
- Politics and ‘us versus them’ rhetoric
- And I guess I have to include sports
Think about what sort of things are popular on the various plastic rectangles we stare at. People like supernatural and fantasy shows, true crime, comedies, action, and drama. For most of us these things happen between never and rarely, except for drama and when it comes to our own lives, we usually don’t want it.
One might mention reality shows or all the social media folks just focusing on how great they are. However, things like reality shows are usually just showing the 30 minutes high(low)lights from 168 hours of filming multiple people. Influencers are just giving people 30 second soundbites before they head off to bury their heads in their plastic rectangles for the next four hours.
So how does the modern person overcome this lacklusterness? Being a good story teller helps. I can make my wife laugh by telling her what happened to me in the grocery store line. In general, there is not automatic solution but I do have a remedy of sorts.
I believe the more you do, and getting out of your home is usually better than remaining there for this, the more you have a chance of having something interesting happen to you. Think about it. How interesting is it talking to somebody about how you wasted the last few days of your life on a chair staring at plastic while playing video games, streaming shows, or binging social media. You might have seen a tight movie or really enjoyed a game, but how interesting are those forty hours of video games going to be for anyone listening to you describe it?
Compare this too real world experiences which are usually novel, sometimes exciting, and quite often funny. I’m not saying your trip to Safeway will make your friend laugh every time, but you’re probably more likely to view something weird there than sitting in your chair. Seeing the guy kick his cell phone down the produce alle might not be Game of Thrones, but it was something you saw with your own eyes and it was real. Truth isn’t stranger than fiction, but it does have a lower bar.
Thanks for listening, now go get some air.
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