A camp counselor where my 12-year-old daughter has gone every summer for several years told me this story:
When my girl was 7 and in the youngest girls’ cabin, the girls played a practical joke on the boys, and the boys retaliated by putting together very realistic-looking packages supposedly from home to each young girl — with their name, from their home address, everything. But inside each box was just a bunch of rocks.
Every girl was upset and got mad or cried. Except my girl. My girl loves everything nature, and she was delighted to receive a bunch of rocks. She went around collecting everyone else’s rejected rocks and stacking them in interesting ways.
“Rocks!” she must have thought. “Cool! Let’s see what I can make with them!” Her counselor said that’s when she knew this kid would be her favorite camper ever, and indeed they have been close for years.
I just can’t stop thinking about those rocks, and how I would have reacted. I would have cried. I would have thought how different it was from what I’d expected, and I would have said “It’s not fair!”
But my girl intuitively let go of expectations and simply saw what was, with no judgment. Rocks. Huh. So she went from rocks to creativity and joy.
Perspective. Please God, give me the perspective of a joyful 7-year-old. Thank you.