At camp, we would often talk about “camp life” being different from “real life”, because the schedule and day to day activities at camp tend to be far different from what we experience in a typical day at home. While “camp life” and “real life” may look very different, I have come to believe that they shouldn’t. At the very least, there are INCREDIBLE lessons to be learned from the “camp life” that would do wonders for our “real life”.
We played a TON of games at camp. Basketball, ultimate frisbee, gagaball, capture the chicken, and so many more! As staff our goal with any game or activity was to have as much fun as possible. Imagine the bell curve above is measuring the amount of fun everyone is having. At the beginning, everyone is learning the rules of the game and just figuring out how to play. Once the group figures it out, the fun level continues to grow until it reaches the peak fun level...AKA "Ultimate Fun". Beyond that point, the activity can sometimes go on for too long, becoming boring and not as much fun to play again. If the game is stopped at "Ultimate Fun", those playing the game are left wanting more, and the game can, and should, be played again.
I think we would all be better off if we applied this "Ultimate Fun" concept to our lives. Here are a few examples of some things I think we tend to take beyond "Ultimate Fun" (at least the things that have been on my mind lately):
Life Lesson #1: Ultimate Fun - Find a balance in your life. Don't over do it. It's okay to leave wanting more, it gives you something to look forward to.
I think we would all be better off if we applied this "Ultimate Fun" concept to our lives. Here are a few examples of some things I think we tend to take beyond "Ultimate Fun" (at least the things that have been on my mind lately):
- Food: We all know the feeling of overindulging. Not only are you left feeling stuffed and uncomfortable, but the long-term effects aren't great either...trust me, I know. :)
- Busy-ness: We all seem to be in competition with each other to see who is the busiest. The conversation usually looks something like this: "How are you?" "Ugh, busy! You?" "Yup, pretty busy." And then both parties go back and forth with all of the things they have going on. I think busy-ness is killing us! We've become so over-worked and over-stressed that we sometimes lose sight of what is important in life...our relationships with God and those we care about the most. Don't fall into the trap!!!!
- Athletics: Anyone who knows me might be shocked by that one. Trust me I love me some sports, but we can go to far. In this case, I'm referring to youth sports. I think in general, our kids are doing way too much, way too early! I question how much this is helping our kids. Trust me, I want them to be active and exercising, and to learn and excel in sports. What concerns me is what we're beginning to see at the upper high school levels. I'm seeing 2 major things becoming more and more of a problem:
- Kids are quitting sports programs around their sophomore or junior years because they are just burnt out. It is no longer fun for them. They blew by "ultimate fun" around 8th grade.
- Those who don't get burnt out are getting seriously hurt or developing chronic injuries. Kids are putting so many miles on their muscles so early that by the time they are in the upper levels of their competitive careers, they are riding the bench with some part of their body in a cast. It just kills me to see that! (not all of them experience this, but unfortunately it seems to be more and more)
Life Lesson #1: Ultimate Fun - Find a balance in your life. Don't over do it. It's okay to leave wanting more, it gives you something to look forward to.