NoahDMitchell.com

I’ve been told by a few people that I only seem to write when I am venting. I think that’s usually the case, which I guess is both good and bad. I try not to bother the world (and by the world, I mean the 5 people that actually read my blog!J) with mundane unimportant things. I try to only write about things that I am passionate about or have a passionate opinion about. Unfortunately, those things are usually sparked by a negative or thought provoking encounter. I think things all the time, but my natural inclination is NOT to write all those thoughts down. It is only when I am “inspired” (Again; usually by a negative encounter), that I actually write those thoughts on my blog.

With that said, here’s a positive post.

Friday night we had our last 5^th quarter of the year. (Youth event after every home game. Designed to provide a safe, fun environment for youth to interact after football games) I must admit that at the beginning of the year, I was skeptical of these 5^th quarters. I didn’t think they would be all that fun and I was unconvinced that kids would come. Boy was I wrong about that. We’ve averaged right at 100 kids per 5^th quarter and more importantly, we’ve had a ton of fun! This past Friday was no exception.

There’s something about just hanging out with no hidden agenda. (We don’t bait and switch Matt! There’s no ok now that we have you here, let’s tell you the 4 laws of spirituality). We just have fun. Nothing more, nothing less. I had a conversation with one of my kids who was pleased that we just allowed them to have fun.

Towards the end of the night, I was talking to previously mentioned kid, and told him that I was really tired. He shared my feelings and added that he thought I should sleep in the following morning. I’m not the type of person who sleeps in. In fact, I can think of 2 specific occasions in the last year that I slept past 8 or 9 in the morning. (Both of these days happened to have been while I was on vacation in HawaiiJ) I just don’t sleep in. I thought about what I had to get done on Saturday and concluded that I had NOTHING that necessitated me waking up early. So I promised my kid that I would sleep in. I wouldn’t set an alarm and I would force myself to stay in bed till at least 11.

I did this (slept until 11:45 actually) and initially it felt great. But then, I felt lazy and like a bum. I mean after all, half the day was over and I hadn’t done anything. The reality is that I had done something. I had gained some much needed rest. It was nice. (I don’t suspect that I will become a person that sleeps in a lot, but perhaps on Saturday! J)

My kid challenged me to do something that I really needed to do. I guess we can learn from our kids after all…

PS: I think  most of you know this, but just in case you dont…When I say “my kids” I am talking about the kids in my youth group. I dont actually have any kids of my own…:)