I got to church camp, dug out my Bible, notebook, and jacket, then laid out my bedding and settled things for the week.
I saw my Bible had something stuck in it, so I flipped it open and pulled out the notebook paper folded inside. It was a letter from my mom.
She said she was proud of me and hoped I had a ton of great memories to share with her when I got back, and then she said something that stuck with me for a long time.
She said she hoped I did something that might get me in trouble!
Here's a little context, I was the president and CEO of the Goody Two Shoes club growing up. I had the nickname “mom” in most social groups because I was always “mothering” everyone and trying to keep them safe and out of trouble. I was highly mature for my age, and my two biggest fears were inconveniencing anyone or getting in trouble!
My mom knows me well, and she knew back then that I would rather be bored to tears and sit in the cabin alone if I thought there was a tiny chance I would get in trouble. She didn't want that for me; she wanted me to experience everything happening and act my age instead of a decade beyond it. (or two)
I always had a good time at church camp, even if I was a camp counselor at the end of my high school years at the same time as being a camper myself. (there was one year I fell asleep standing up in the middle of a very loud chapel service because I had been up for two nights in a row keeping unruly girls from sneaking out of the cabin to meet boys!)
There's something to be said for the lessons I learned as I got older, lessons pertaining to taking chances and allowing myself to get in a LITTLE bit of trouble; I pretty much leveled out in my maturity in college, and I think I made up for some of my “old lady ways” during that short year and a half of life.
I learned to embrace the moment and just go for it.
Climbing waterfalls we weren't supposed to be close to. Parking where we weren't supposed to be. Watching movies in the bed of my truck on a laptop because movies were banned on campus. Skipping a day of cleaning my dorm room to hang out with friends (then getting cleaning duty for the whole floor as punishment).
Life is about living in the moment.
Business is about embracing the moments.
Joy is about being fully present in the moment.
This is my letter to you to do something that pushes your boundaries, takes your breath away, scares the crap out of you, and makes you live a little.
コメント