Tip of My Iceberg

If we blew it up, we knew they’d come.

We had our end-of-the-year barbecue with two monster water slides, enough candy to create cavities in multitudes of children, a plethora of food options, and fun for both adults and children.

It never ceases to amaze me at how the chance to barrel down a slide slicked with water can make a kid out of anybody. Both young and old alike were partaking of the glorious fun of speed and splashing. Laughter filled the air as people slipped smoothly down wet rubber, and those watching continued to challenge and applaud the antics happening on the slides.

Fun is a necessary part of life. It provides a pause in the stress and tension of the need to produce and improve. It creates a freshness in our focus so that we might take a breath and remember to enjoy life. We get so caught up in the musts and shoulds that we forget about the hoped for maybes. Maybe we’ll have a break. Maybe we can enjoy time together. Maybe we can share a laugh together. Maybe we’ll make time for one another.

Fun isn’t the same for everyone, but everyone should practice having fun. C.S. Lewis once said, “Have fun, even if it’s not the same kind of fun everyone else is having.” It’s the challenge of enjoying the moment, seeing the uniqueness and beauty around us, valuing others who are with us.

Fun creates anticipation. I watched our grands eyeballing the slides as they were being blown up, and they could barely contain their excitement. I felt my own joy expand just watching them as they waited for the chance to begin to slide.

The famous American poet, Ralph Waldo Emerson, once said, “It is a happy talent to know how to play.” His contemporary and friend, Walt Whitman, said, “Do anything, but let it produce joy.” They knew the value of finding fun and joy where you could because their lives were impacted by the Civil War.

Dr. Randy Pausch was a Carnegie Mellon University professor of computer science, and in 2006 he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, known for its high mortality rate. One year later, he was told he had only months left to live. Rather than bemoan his circumstances, he approached this life challenge differently. He delivered his “Last Lecture” titled “Really Living Your Childhood Dreams”, addressing doing the fun things in life before it’s too late. His attitude was incredible. He said, “I am going to keep having fun every day I have left, because there is no other way of life. You just have to decide whether you are a Tigger or an Eeyore.” His heart was to leave gifts of hope for those struggling with pancreatic cancer and those walking that journey with them. He’s inspired many to rethink how they focus on life.

Solomon said it well: “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person’s strength.” (Proverbs 17:22) In a world full of anger, hatred, disaster, loss, and grief, it’s easy to default to despair and misery. Those attitudes will spiral us downward faster to depression and leave no room for hope or joy. It blocks any attempt at fun.

We need joy and fun.

Jesus Himself had fun. He attended a wedding because He knew the people and enjoyed the celebration. He spent time at the home of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus because they were friends who gave Him time to relax and enjoy their company. Joy is one of the fruits of the Spirit where Jesus living in us produces attitudes that grow and mature as we learn to depend on Him. It’s an active choice of our attitudes, a state of the heart that embraces a positive outlook and a cheerful frame of mind.

It was such a pleasure to provide space for friends to enjoy themselves as they each prepare for a new transition. To refocus their attention so they could laugh, have fun, and enjoy each other. It wasn’t until it was over that I recognized what a gift of fun they’d given us.

I’d choose to be a Tigger any day.