The Loose Cannon: Hanoi Jane
Looking back over the years, I’ve spent lots of time trying to conquer boredom.
In the 1980s I was working as a computer programmer for Sperry Univac at Mare Island. Depending on the time of day, the commute usually wasn’t too bad. I detested all the commercials on the radio and would usually ride in silence, somewhat bored. Then I discovered books on tape. The first book I listened to was “The Thorn Birds.” I was hooked from the opening chapter. I remember arriving at work, pulling into the parking lot and trying to remember if I had actually stopped for stop signs and stop lights on the way.
Currently, I work out on a recumbent bike in my garage with a beautiful view of the Stags Leap Palisades. But that wasn’t enough, so, I Mcgyvered a rotating shelf for my PC allowing me to watch videos and avoid boredom (yes, McGyvered is a real word – look it up).
We just spent the month of October in New Braunfels, Texas. I joined a gym that had a recumbent bike. But the bike didn’t have a holder for my cell phone, so I McGyvered a holder out of a clothes hanger.
I have always been a fan of TED Talks and started watching those while pedaling away.
From Wikipedia: TED Talks are short, powerful presentations delivered at TED conferences, focusing on a wide range of topics including technology, entertainment, and design, aimed at spreading innovative ideas globally.
They were great. And when one would finish, several more presentations would be offered.
I decided that I would suggest some of the TED Talks to my readers. Being elderly and living in a community with lots of older folks, this was a presentation I thought I should share:
But there were so many TED Talks to choose from:
- Why You Feel Anxious Socializing (and What to Do about It).
- How’s your social health? Let’s test it.
- Getting stuck in the negatives (and how to get unstuck)
- The puzzle of motivation | Dan Pink
For that last one, business owners may want to dispute the following argument: “There’s a mismatch between what science knows and what business does.”
Yes, TED Talks were helping me conquer boredom at the gym. And then I landed on this TED Talk:
Put Down Your Phone and Embrace Boredom
Well shoot, I was trying hard to conquer boredom, not embrace it. But 7.7M views in just two months? I try to keep an open mind when listening to TED Talks. So, I took the bait and watched it. I have to admit, he made some pretty good points along this line of thinking:
Boredom as a mood state: Boredom is a mood state that can be complex and requires attention to understand its use and abuse. It can be a tool for positive character development and creativity.
These talks encourage a rethinking of our relationship with boredom, suggesting that it can be a valuable part of our lives if we learn to embrace it and manage it effectively.
And then he singled me out. Well, not exactly “me” but it felt like it.
He suggested that those of us that workout at the gym with electrical devices, consider shutting them off and embracing boredom. He’s telling me this while I’m watching him during my gym workout to avoid boredom.
How’s that for irony?
The condo we were staying at in Texas is not at all fancy, but it did have spas and a pool. This is the off-season for this summer destination hotspot, and the monthly rate at less than $100 per night reflected that.
While it was still dark one early morning, I headed to the spa ready to embrace boredom by just thinking about stuff. No phone in tow. It was a breezy, but clear and starry, night.
As it got to be daylight, I did get my phone to take this picture:
But earlier, in the darkness, how could I not focus on the illuminated flag? It stood out and demanded attention.
That flag, on the sturdiest of flagpoles, became the focus of my thoughts and mental ramblings of which there were plenty.
That flag marks the location of the New Braunfels Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Hall. Last year we attended a large Easter egg hunt on that property. It was done in a big way, like most things in Texas. It included free hot dogs and hamburgers for hundreds of people, with only voluntary donations. The event took place in the large open field, but being a veteran, I wandered over and wrangled an invitation to check out their hall. I am sure it is similar to thousands of VFW halls across America. The walls had many pictures and stories of war heroes, various flags and banners and display cases.
When I used the men’s restroom, I saw Jane Fonda decals in the urinal basins as “targets.” There she was, unmistakably, “Hanoi Jane.”
From Wikipedia: Jane Fonda was a political activist in the counterculture era during the Vietnam War. She was photographed sitting on a North Vietnamese anti-aircraft gun on a 1972 visit to Hanoi, during which she gained the nickname “Hanoi Jane.”
That memory came back as I sat in the darkness contemplating the American flag and how that flag means different things to different people, especially now with all the divisions in this country. That was definitely food for thought.
When I checked, I found out that those urinal targets are available today from Ebay, Amazon and Etsy.
And don’t miss the hammer and sickle on her cheek (yes, pun intended).
I have two close friends that are Vietnam combat veterans.
These two men are diametrically politically opposed. Still contemplating the flag, I tried to think, on what common ground might they agree? More food for thought, but I couldn’t think of anything.
Maybe the only thing they would agree on now, is their views on “Hanoi Jane,” as apparently all the New Braunfels Vets do.
After much contemplation, it was not a pleasant conclusion.
But it wasn’t boring, either.
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