Wednesday, September 7, 2011

I wouldn't be afraid of acting like a kid. Enjoy doing those embarrassing things that take you out of your comfort zone.

Job 33:25 (New International Version)

Then his flesh is renewed like a child's;
it is restored as in the days of his youth.


I play cards with the guys I grew up with. The faces have changed a little. The bodies have changed alot but we are much the same people as the day we first dealt a hand more than 25 years ago.
 Games are heated and moods change as we win or lose but one thing is for certain, we still hold on to the childlike quality that makes us a close knit group. We love to give each other a hard time and compete on every level. We are still kids in grown men's bodies. We do spend alot of time talking about our kids and living through their exploits and endeavors.
Stories like  this one dominate the table at times: My second  son is going sky diving this weekend, he is 21. I love that he embraces life and looks forward to doing those things that will make great memories and keep him young.  He invited several people to join him but they are too busy, too scared or not ready for an adventure like this one. I am sure one of them will tell him in the near future. "I wish I would have done that with you."
As children sometimes we spend alot of time wishing we were older so we can do the things adults do. The truth is most of the good times we remember are the times we spend with friends, the trips we take or the funny embarrassing things that happen to us along the way.
The stories we relive at the table always drift back to the trips we have taken together, the funny things that we did when we were young and the things we wish we would have done when we had the chance.
It was fun spending time with the guys at the wedding reception of my oldest son.  They made fun of how old I looked in my tux. They looked at the the younger generation in awe and remembrance of the time when we could drink and dance all night long without a care in the world. But the reality was many had to work the next day, or take care of the lawn, or pay the bills, or some other responsibility that none of these kids have.
My wife and I danced that night. Yes,  I stepped on her toes more than a few times.  We kissed passionately and acted like kids. We drank maybe a little too much. We took in the evening as parents should but the thing I remember, is I could have been 20 years old that night. We were young all over again.  It is a memory I won't soon forget.
It is times like these we need to think young, play, enjoy the company of our friends and never forget to be childlike at times.
What is it that takes you out of your comfort zone but you enjoy so much?