Did you ever have a plan that didn't work out the way you wanted? If you are a live human being, I'm guessing your answer is yes! When I was about 11 or 12 years old, my family decided to take a camping trip to Medorah, North Dakota to see their live outdoor musical. This trip has become affectionately known to my family as ,"The Worst Camping Trip Ever!"
The first night we were there, a very strong wind came up and popped our big, nice tent like a balloon. It shot all of our belongings hundreds of yards through the campground. Strangers were walking up to us with sopping wet sleeping bags, clothes, dishes, etc. So now all of our stuff was wet or destroyed, and all three of us kids had to sleep in an extra 2-person tent my uncle had. Mom and dad slept in the van. This was no big deal except for the fact that we had just seen a mouse in the van and having 3 of us in a teeny tiny tent was miserable!
The temperature the whole weekend was over 100 degrees and the only pool was a public pool that was very small.
There was a train that went through town every hour and blew it's horn 4 times at each of the 4 stops. So 16 horn blasts every hour!
When morning came, the crows would start cawing at the top of their lungs. This of course irritated the yapping dogs in the campground, so there was not a moment of peace the entire weekend.
My family has remembered that trip in fine detail for 30 years, exactly BECAUSE of all the things that went wrong! We laugh about it now and it has become a fun family story.
Joshua J Marine says, “Challenges are what make life interesting. Overcoming them is what makes life meaningful.”
Sometimes we remember things more and value them because of the difficulty of the circumstances surrounding them. No one remembers a routine job or trip, but they absolutely remember the day that was very difficult or challenging.
Our elementary remodel job has not gone according to plan. We have two men working late nights all week long in order to get finished up. Those men will remember Gregory FOREVER! Our students have written them kind notes and encouraging words and it seems to lift these guys' moods every time! So we got them some Gorilla-wear to remember us!
The next time things don't go according to plan, try not to panic! Remember that challenge can be the spice of life! And you might just smile and laugh someday when you think about that challenge.
Challenge for the week: Lean into the challenges and make the most of bad situations!
Every day is a great day to be a Gorilla!
Have a memorable week!