Best Friends For Life - Is the quest for adventure linked to a person’s DNA? I don’t know the answer, I’m simply asking the question. Is a child’s behavior in elementary school an indicator of what to anticipate over the course of their lifetime? If so, then I’m suggesting it may have to do with the innate quest for adventure ingrained somewhere deep inside that predicates choices, lifestyle and emerges with a sense of pizzazz. By the way, those are the fun people with whom I want to share my time.
Sunday morning at breakfast the General and I had the privilege to sit with a small group of former classmates whose history and shared experiences started long before junior high. A couple of the ladies had been friends for life. Their mothers were best friends. They met regularly in the mornings to drink coffee and study Scripture. With the stories that emerged over breakfast, I’m sure they prayed together as well. Trust me, Divine intervention had to be at the top of their list of things they most needed. After all, their small daughters were best friends. Wouldn’t you know it; both girls embraced and yielded to the quest for adventure. The outcome was incredible. They added a sense of pizzazz everywhere they went. They still do!
My son credits my gray hair to his sister. There is almost a ten year differential between Craig and Andrea’s ages. Craig is right. The gray hair emerged after Andrea joyfully entered our lives. From that day until now, Andrea has added a dimension to all of our lives that makes me grateful she’s my daughter. She never needed assertiveness training. Perhaps she learned the skillset from her mother, but she has consistently been on top of her game and has approached life from the vantage point of making it work. She, too, adds a level of pizzazz to the room.
When I was a kid growing up, the articulated warning from both of my parents was closely akin to, “If you get in trouble at school and have to go to the principal’s office, you will be beaten to within an inch of your life when you get home.” I believed they were people of their word. Consequently, I can truthfully say, I never was called to the principal’s office.
What was true for me was not necessarily true for the two ladies who shared stories from their childhood. As elementary aged students they decided on more than one occasion, “Why eat in the cafeteria when it is a great day to go on a picnic.” Invariably their “great escape” was always discovered. The principal would call the parents and say, “Your daughter is gone again.”
One day one of the parents was surprised to return home from work to discover the two girls decided they wanted to play house. What child hasn’t? These two decided they wanted to play house outside. Actually, I think they were pretty clever. They opted to move all of the bedroom furniture into the back yard. That takes ingenuity, determination and an ability to color outside the lines. No wonder the two mother’s met for coffee, Bible study and I can assure you – PRAYER.
All of those behaviors and life choices predated junior high school. Can you imagine what junior high and high school years would bring?
Ronnie and I never had a car to drive to school. Some students did. We didn’t. One of the two ladies had the good fortune of having a father who sold used cars. Consequently, he’d go to an auction, buy something for his daughter to drive and in a few months sell it and provide her something else. He obviously made a mistake when he brought home a faded out blue car.
Who could have blamed them? The two girls came up with a solution for changing the faded blue paint. They bought red paint, paint brushes and had the time of their life doing an extreme make-over. Do you think they got permission from the dad to do that before they started? Sure they did! Well, the same kind of permission they got before they moved the bedroom furniture in the backyard. When you embrace life with a spirit of adventure, you can get by with almost anything. You may want to write this down for future reference. “Forgiveness is always easier to get than permission.” When you add pizzazz to life, you can generally get by with anything.
I had the sense that the two friends are not done. Who knows what they will opt to do next, but it may be a cross-country trip to Montana. One of the ladies said, “I really want to go to Montana. Unfortunately, my husband doesn’t want to travel. The friend replied, “Great! I will go with you.”
I interjected, “I can see the headlines now: “Thelma and Louise are at it again.” One of the ladies replied, “We haven’t stolen anything or killed anyone yet.” She then smiled. The friend replied, “I haven’t killed anyone either, but I’ve shot at them. Does that count?” I figure if she missed, she was shooting while she was riding horseback.
Since I don’t have permission to share this story, I’m not giving you the names. However, if you remember a red brush painted vehicle or know anyone who continues to ride horses, you’ll probably figure out the identity of dynamic duo.
You know, I think it’s true. The quest for adventure is linked to a person’s DNA. How grateful I am to be friends with the two ladies who place a premium on adventure and choose to enjoy life to the fullest. Wow! They really do add a sense of pizzazz.
All My Best,
Don