Focus: How Stupid Ball Saved the Day

 Stupid Ball.  The way it came to be is as ridiculous as its name.  It all started with 8 people in an RV at the other end of the country - 4 adults and an 8, 10, and two 11 year-olds.  The kids were uninspired by our previous stop - Hearst Castle, and they were ready to play as we drove to Morro Bay in California.  For the second time on the trip, one of the kids locked the bedroom door to the RV and closed it.  For the second time no one was in the bedroom.  For the second time the dads had to take the door off the hinges.   They were not amused and let everyone know it. 

We, the moms and kids, were unceremoniously kicked out of the RV with little notice.  You would think that would not be a problem in California.  But the Pacific Ocean is COLD, even in August and the beach was a balmy 60 degrees.  The kids seem completely unfazed by our situation.  They walked to the beach, took off their cover-ups and went into the water.  I sat on a chair, the one thing I had the presence of mind to bring.  I was in jeans and a sweatshirt, and I was still cold.  Where was my stuff?  I loved being prepared with stuff, but now I had nothing. 

After frolicking in the waves, my younger son pulled out a bouncy ball from his pockets.  My sons began throwing and bouncing the ball to each other.  Suddenly they came up on a game. The first pass - no bounces.  Then one bounce, and then two bounces, and then three bounces, etc.  When someone breaks the pattern, the game starts over.   

After many, many tries, the boys made it past ten bounces.  I joined.  I think we made backward progress at that point.  When their less-frazzled dad came down from the RV, he immediately joined in, and progress was made once again.  The boys dubbed the game, "Stupid Ball." 

On that trip we saw Hoover Dam, the Grand Canyon, Yosemite National Park, Hearst Castle, Warner Brothers Studios, Hollywood, and many other amazing sights.   Nine years later, what do the kids talk about, especially when we are with the family we traveled with?  How the dads got mad at the kids, kicked them out of the RV, and then Stupid Ball was born.  

Their fathers getting mad at them could have happened anywhere at any time. While the big ticket attractions and events are still in their memories, what stood out to them was a funny story and using their creativity.

Lessons learned:  Don’t get so engrossed in the big things that you forget to appreciate the little things.   AND  My children’s focus on how to make a situation fun was way better than my focus on being cold and unprepared.     

In looking back on what I just wrote, honestly, the bigger lesson is focus.  Joy can be found almost anywhere - make that your focus