Enjoy the journey...right?

Do you remember building forts when you were a kid?

Do you have kids and have you ever watched them build a fort?

If you answered yes to either of those questions you might have an idea of where I'm going with this post.  

One of my most vivid childhood memories was building a fort using grass clippings with my younger brother, Ebin.  We hand raked up all the grass my father had just mowed into piles and started placing it in a square shape.  Our lawn was decent sized and my dad must have let the grass grow for a while because there was plenty of clippings for our project.  As we shaped the grass we got more and more ideas: "This can be the front door!  And we can make two bedrooms here and here!  We have to make it bigger so we can make a kitchen and a living room.  Get more grass!" on and on we constructed.  Every new idea got us more and more excited!  We brought down our blankets and favorite stuffed animals.  We made a couch for us and chairs for our stuffed animals.  Do you remember this feeling?  We buzzed in and out of our fort with energy and determination.  Each new idea was met with collaborative criticism, or a solid yes.  Each idea brought thoughts like: "This is going to be so cool once it is finished!"  With our blankets spread in our newly formed bedrooms, we settled into our finally finished fort.  And the fun was done.  It turned out, the very best part was the process, the idea sharing, the anticipation of completion, the journey.  

Now, as I watch my kids built forts, it is the same thing.  The most fun is the actual creation of the fort, not the finished fort.  Moreover, listening to their chatter, I know they have the same thoughts I did as a kid: this is going to be so fun once it is finished!  Only to finish, and not play in the fort.  I see it with other games my kids play too: nerf wars where Colter has the most fun building his fortress to shoot from than the actual battle.  Craft projects Adell comes up with and the joy she gets as each new idea addition presents itself.  So many times, the fun is to be had in the doing not the ending.  I think this is an idea I could use more of in my adult life.  I wrongly think it is the arrival of the destination that will bring me the most joy and happiness.  The reality might be that it is the process and work to get to the destination that will be the most rewarding and fun. 

I've decided to take on some bigger goals in my life because of this thinking.  I want to do big things.  I want to try, fail, learn, and be excited about the journey.  I am so thankful I have this blog to track the other things I've done in the last twelve years (can you believe I've kept up a blog for twelve years?  Me neither.).  I am looking forward to sharing the new things I try and fail and learn to do.

Here's to the construction and creation, not the destination.