It was reported a few days ago on ksl.com that a website has declared Utah as the second most boring state in the nation. Only Idaho exceeded Utah in the category of boredom.  Third place went to Kansas. Iowa, Arkansas, Montana, Nebraska, South Dakota, Oklahoma and Maine rounded out the top 10 most boring states.

Before I got too worked up about this news, I decided to actually visit the website of the organization that made these “boring rankings.” The “guilty party” is Areavibes.com.

This outfit claims to have used a complex algorithm to figure out which states have the least number of things, which are considered “exciting.” They used things like: percentage of population over 65 (higher is more boring), percentage of households with kids (higher is more boring), percentage of married households (higher is more boring), and population density. I gather that sparser population means, “more boring.”

I’m thinking that by these standards, then yes, Utah is boring. And if Utah is boring, then Sanpete County within Utah must be really boring.

But, it’s obvious to me, (and “me” is who matters, right?), that the criteria that is used in this ranking of boring states is faulty. It’s subjective, and therefore is only relevant for those who accept it.

As for me, I can say that I’m anything but bored when I’m with older people or with my wife and children (and grandchildren) and out in the wild where there are very few people. So that flies in the face of what’s supposed to be boring according to Areavibes.

As a married couple, my wife and I went to the movies the other night. There were five of us in the auditorium so “population density” was very low. I guess I should have been bored, but I wasn’t.

I’ve heard some people say that Sanpete is boring. My automatic response to that comment is: “There are no boring places, only boring people.” I believe that if a person determines that they aren’t going to be a “boring person,” regardless of where they are; they won’t be bored.

There’s no reason not to have an interesting life in Sanpete. The variety of our landscape and our four-season climate offer all kinds of options for occupying our time. But, I suspect that there are some “bored” people sitting at home wondering why “there’s nothing to do around here.”

I’ve known of Snow College students who were initially bored when they arrived in Sanpete to go to school. “There’s nothing to do!” But, weirdly, when school was out and they went home to the Wasatch Front communities, they found themselves “bored” and longing to be back in Sanpete!

There are more events going on in Sanpete than many locals realize. Snow College alone is home to a constant parade of events that the general public is encouraged to attend.   

There may be “bored” people at home wishing that there was more to do in Sanpete. I believe they just need to learn to check things out and they could easily be at an interesting activity of some sort.

There’s really more leisure activity and hobby possibilities available in the great outdoors of Sanpete than many people realize. Right now there are baseball, softball, soccer and other sporting events going on all the time.

Hunting, fishing, rodeos and horsemanship events are obvious choices. Leisure drives on the back roads and in the mountains are popular with some.

Hiking and rockhounding are sometimes not as readily thought of as “things to do.” Fun can always be had on foot. I have a friend who is a bird watcher. He loves it and tells me all sorts of interesting facts about the birds that live and pass through Sanpete.

And, of course, there’s nothing wrong with staying home and interacting as a family. Sometimes family time and neighbor time get pushed aside as being too ordinary, too routine, too boring.

I could go on and on with this subject. But you guessed it; I don’t want to bore you.

Enjoy life in this fabulous springtime everyone. Count your blessings and don’t be afraid to find fun and happiness regardless of how old you are, what your family status is or how densely populated of an area you find yourself.  

There’s an old saying: “gold is where you find it.” Happiness and “non boredom” is like gold, it’s where you find it.