The Most Boring Interesting Person I know

"Share your wisdom even if the audience seems disinterested at the time" Rumi

When I was in my twenties, I met a guy at a party who had ridden his motorcycle from Seattle all the way down the Pan-American Trail to the southernmost point of South America and back. To me, this sounded like the plot of an epic adventure movie. I was on the edge of my seat, ready to hear tales of high-speed chases, daring rescues, and comedic miscommunications in broken Spanish.

My friend introduced us, and we paired off to chat. I couldn’t wait to hear his stories. But boy, was I in for a letdown. This guy was as talkative as a mime at a silent retreat. I bombarded him with questions: "How long did it take you? What was the hardest part? Tell me about a time you were scared!" Granted, my conversation skills were a bit rough back then, but still, he was a steel trap.

After our anticlimactic chat, I went back to my friend and asked why he was so tight-lipped. Maybe he wasn’t interested in talking to me? Nope. Turns out, he had very little to say about his trip to anyone. After that, I dubbed him "The Most Boring Interesting Person I’ve Ever Met."

There’s a saying we've all heard: "If a tree falls in the forest, does it make a sound?" Looking back over 30 years later, I have a new take on it: No, it doesn't make a sound if nobody's there to hear it. Just like the guy who went on a grand journey and came back with nothing to share—it was as if he hadn’t gone at all.

This concept got me thinking, and it’s one of the reasons I started this blog. I've had my share of travels, read a ton of books, and gained some wisdom over the years. What’s the point of growing older if I don't share what I've learned? We don’t need to "recreate the wheel" when we can learn from each other’s mistakes.

The purpose of this blog is for you to learn from my mistakes—Cautionary Tales of a Middle-Aged Woman.

"Share your wisdom even if the audience seems disinterested at the time" Rumi