We stayed at a campground in Southern Wisconsin last weekend. Wendy’s mother and brother, Tod, live in Burlington, so we popped the outfitter’s tent and enjoyed family. Tod’s children (2) had a blast with their Jeub cousins (13).
This campground had about a half-dozen playground areas. Monkey bars, swing sets, etc. What did the kids spend most of their time doing? Making their own swing out of an old camping rope and a metal bar. Nearly the entire day was spent making the most interesting swinging contraptions.
This caused me to ponder two things that are on our hearts a lot lately. First, creativity. The kids find more value in the play they create than the play that is created for them. Sure, playgrounds are fun, but how much more fun for the children was a rope and worthless bar? They created it themselves, and that was 90% of the fun.
Second, hard work. The kids really worked hard. They had to throw the bar over high oak branches, getting stuck several times. Hours were spent setting the swing up. Hard work, but rewarding to say the least. As Teddy Roosevelt said, “The best prize that life has to offer is working hard at work worth doing.”
We’re now in Minnesota at my folks’ place. Wendy and I are speaking tonight in Elk River on “Cheaper by the Dozen: Economic principles for living frugal and fruitful lives.” Creativity and hard work are two principles of life that aren’t spoken of much anymore. They really should.
About Chris & Wendy Jeub
