Not to perpetuate the Alabama stereotype, but... I might be a tad sunburned, from sitting in my yard, in my bathing suit, in full view of the road, in a $8.99 bright yellow baby pool, while Madeline was inside napping. Go ahead and judge me.
But I love the nose and shoulder freckles from a day in the sun. AND I made a nice dent in my most recent book, Do Hard Things. I've loved it (and have wanted to post many facebook statuses about it, but I can't figure out a way to phrase them without inviting endless "That's what she said" jokes).
It's excellent, though! The subtitle is, "A teenage rebellion against low expectations." If you are a teenager, have teenagers, work with teenagers, or have ever seen a teenager - you should read it. The concept is excellent! From the introduction:
"Most people don't expect you to understand what we're going to tell you in this book. And even if you understand, they don't expect you to care. And even if you care, they don't expect you to do anything about it. And even if you do something about it, they don't expect it to last. WE DO."
This coming week at Middle School Camp, we're challenging our teenagers to do hard things. Things that take them out of their comfort zone, things that go above and beyond any requirements or expectations, things that don't pay off right away, things that are too big to do alone, and things that go against the flow. I'm so excited.
Can you imagine what it might look like if we stopped telling teenagers that they are immature, irresponsible, and nothing but trouble? And started telling them that their teenage years ARE NOT a chance to do all the foolish things in their systems before "real life" begins - but instead, an incredible, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to shape themselves for, and launch themselves into a meaningful, successful adulthood? Who says teenagers have to make dumb decisions? Whose rule is that? What if they DON'T WANT to waste those years?
I've shared this video on the Girls Night blog, but it seems to fit here too...
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2YKrtCdwSk]
So go! Be used of God! Do hard things! Change the world.
"Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work." [Thomas Edison]
"All this will not be finished in the first one hundred days, nor will it be finished in the first thousand days, nor in the life of this administration, nor even perhaps in our lifetime on this planet. BUT LET US BEGIN." [John F. Kennedy]
"If we did all the things we are capable of, we would literally astound ourselves." [Thomas A. Edison]