Two are better than one because they can help each other succeed. Ecclesiastes 4:9
Push your limits and discover just how resilient you can be.
During a scorching summer, my friends and I embarked on a three-week program as a group. The aim was adventure, personal growth and giving back to our community, while becoming young leaders. With our compact suitcases, rucksacks, and sleeping bags, we began our journey. I remember we climbed the steepest hill ever, which is not actually the worst part of the trip. However, reality kicked in when we arrived at the top of the hill. I had envisaged camping would be a dream come true, experiencing nature, being one with the earth, and releasing my inner survivor spirit. But peering down the hill, I saw a still, small, rustic setting with cows moving along and lots of greenery.
In hindsight, we were much closer to mother nature than I would have liked. Imagine sleeping in a little, yet cold sleeping bag, and the only thing separating you from the hard, cold, and unforgiving floor is a thin layer of foam. The tent did not close properly, so the freezing air came in while the minute warm air made its quick escape out of our measly tent. Several bugs and spiders greeted us each day we woke up and crawled around us when we went to sleep at night. They were practically our roommates.
On the next day of our weeklong outdoor adventure, we were required to endure a six-hour hike, trekking the rough hills and long winding pastures of the outdoors. Led by our guide, Matt, we managed to get lost in the fields while watching in misery as the sun slowly set behind us. We passed through hundreds of farmland, got chased by cows and horses, and I managed to step in a plethora of cow manure. Overall, the experience stunk, and it was not just the cowpats. As we tried to navigate our way back to camp, our legs aching from walking nonstop, we cracked jokes within the team. Not only did it boost morale, but it also spurred us on.
Before this team-bonding moment, we were dropping like flies- barely wanting to carry on, but it appeared that we actually formed a connection over our common annoyance with Matt. He was eager to continue hiking even though he managed to lose the track and get us lost in the fields. So yes, Matt became the butt of our jokes. The jokes we passed around acted as a revitalizer, it dissipated the tension and frustration that was circulating the group. Once the laughter and giggles were over, we began sharing embarrassing yet funny stories about our life experiences. When our annoyance faded into light heartedness, we came together as a group and drew up a plan to find the right path leading us back to camp.
With our new and improved attitudes, we were able to overlook the screams of our burning feet, the rumbles of our empty bellies, and the stickiness of our sweat-drenched clothes. We eventually made it back to camp, only to realize that it was better out on the hike than in the camp, as all that walking had warmed us up. Finally, the day ended, and as the harsh, bitter wind whipped my face, invaded my sleeping bag, and rattled my bones, I could not help but think the hike was the best thing to have happened to the group. It brought us closer and established Matt as a common friend or foe?
