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Hello, cabin fever – goodbye, common sense

By Staff | Feb 28, 2013

I don’t know what it is about cabin fever that rots our brains, but there have been times I’ve found myself having a lightsaber fight in the toy aisle at Wal-Mart at 4:30 in the morning, or taken a kite, rollerblades, and a windy day to their logical conclusion. And those are some of the more intelligent things one can do when they have too much free time on their hands.

Let’s face it, the idea of heating up in a sauna then jumping into a frozen lake to try and make your heart stop wasn’t created by people who were anything less than bored. The same goes for Frisbee golf, curling, Mad Libs, and practical jokes.

Why do we do this sort of thing? What is it about that trapped feeling we sometimes get that makes our common sense turn to mush and run out our ears? Why, when routine gets too stifling, do we find ourselves seeing if it’s possible to cook ticks in a microwave or split Twinkies with a firecracker?

I have a theory that most minds, regardless of level of intelligence, can only take so much seriousness before short-circuiting. But rather than hitting the mental circuit breaker and going back to work, we throw out our sanity and go do anything that seems like a good idea at the time.

Even if, under normal circumstances, we could foresee that it would land us knee deep in cold water, trying to figure out how to rescue the car so we can get to work tomorrow.

Perhaps I am exaggerating just a bit. But I can’t help but think of the Muppet’s “Treasure Island” and the dance party they threw while singing about how cabin fever was driving them all mad.

And I find myself thinking: “You know, a dance party sounds like fun. And I’ve been trapped inside all winter”