Bumper Car Insights

It’s summertime and with it comes the amusement park excursions. Recently, I visited an amusement park with an old-time feel; it has been in existence since the 1940’s and is still thriving due to the family-oriented, relaxed environment combined with amusement park rides of decades past. It’s fun to ride on the same type of carousel, tilt-a-whirl and teacup I rode as a kid. The true classic that struck a chord with me was the bumper cars.

I’m not 20 years old anymore; that single fact helped me to decide against going on the bumper cars. Yes, they’re fun, but I wasn’t up for the jolting impact of a stranger’s ride slamming me into my next chiropractic adjustment. It was a blast, however, watching the riders. I noticed two types of bumper car drivers: those who look for the most ‘bumping’ opportunities and enjoy slamming their cars into as many people as possible. The second: those who enjoy driving the car around and around and avoiding the jammed collisions of the first type. What’s interesting? Both types of people are smiling. They both engage in this same ride with different focuses and yet still have the time of their lives.

It’s like that in life: we’re all on the same ride, potentially going in circles. We all have choices to make—do we ‘slam’ the others or ride around in circles with the intention to avoid the collisions? Even though both types of people are smiling, I’ve learned that the shared smiles do not imply shared experiences. It’s personal, whether we think it’s fun to go in circles or collide. The only common factor is seeking after the fun. It’s pretty obvious: no one choose the bumper car ride to have an experience that won’t make them smile. In life, we have choices on how we ride our own circles of experience: with a smile. I pray we are all blessed with those smiles today.

Tip of the week:
Need more water!? Use a straw! We all know it’s important for our health and hydration, especially on hot summer days, to drink a lot of water. Sometimes it’s hard to drink the amount of water we need. I found it’s easier to drink faster when using a straw. I don’t know why, but it works. Try it out!

Water, Water everywhere...

Okay, it’s April, and we know what that implies: April showers, right? Since I’m not into gardening, I don’t think about the resulting May flowers. Instead, I wonder about water. Lately, the phrase: “Water, water, everywhere…” has come to mind. What’s the rest of the sentence?

“…and not a drop to drink.” Water, water, everywhere, and not a drop to drink. What does that mean? I envision a bobbing sailboat with dehydrated vacationers out for a longer journey than they ever expected, in the middle of the ocean gasping for their last breath of life. All they need is water for refueling and all they have is an ocean of water surrounding them, keeping them from life. There’s no way to boil the salt out of the salt water to make it drinkable in this scene. Water everywhere can mean I’m drowning in the essence of my own life without the refueling that comes from having a life with purpose. Water everywhere can mean I think I’m pursuing a healthy lifestyle but instead am being sucked dry by the very information I crave. Water everywhere can mean I’m volunteering my time and energy to seemingly good causes, like feeding the poor, but instead am poor in my own spirit.

Water is critical for health, and I am very aware of drinking it to obey the eight-glasses-a-day-for-better-health rule. I have trained my body to be in need of an abundance of water, and am used to drinking it all day long. When I am thirsty, I am reminded that I’ll immediately get a drink of water to take care of the thirst, but I might not take a minute to sit and pray to take care of a spiritual need I might have today.

That ocean symbolizes the abundance of God’s love and availability in prayer, more than I could imagine. It surrounds me, but is not available to me unless I make myself available too. I have found that forcing myself to be still for a few minutes allows my thoughts and emotions to focus back on God who is always there. I believe He knows what’s up every minute of the day whether I’m thinking of Him or not. How cool is that.

Water, water, everywhere… I plan to drink more and drown less.