What I Learned on My Summer Vacation

During this past summer, the summer of 2009, I learned two of the most important lessons of my life.

This is a pretty good average considering that before this summer I had learned only two essential life lessons to speak of. The first I learned during a college environmental studies class in which the professor outlined the one extra credit assignment we all could achieve. Go for a purposeless walk every day.

This I took to mean that life is what comes to us, not what we go out to discover.

Around the same time, my brother offered a bit of wisdom about motorcycles, “never ride a bike you can’t pick up when it falls over.” After a brief pause Shadd continued, “in fact, Steff, that goes for about everything you do.”

This I took to mean that I shouldn’t take on more than I could handle.

So back to the lessons I learned this summer…

L E S S O N   # 1

Oatmeal can be eaten directly out of the packet

I spotted my good friend Whitney dumping a half-cup of water directly into the paper pouch of her cinnamon flavored oatmeal. I was shocked, amazed, overwhelmed and… my camping life would never be the same again. Gone are the mornings of scrubbing dried oatmeal goo out of the pan; or worse, wiping out the goo before dinner because I was too lazy to clean up after breakfast. I hope to wear in this lesson like a good pair of running shoes before my life is over. Never again will I frown as I stuff packet after packet of flavored oats into my backpack. Now I happily unpack my summer food supply of oatmeal wondering what genius came up with the secret idea of oatmeal in a bag/bowl and how on earth did Whitney discover such a small miracle?

 

L E S S O N   # 2

In river crossings, the goal of the group is to protect the weakest member

One day our boss sent us to the river to learn about safe river crossings from coworker well-versed in Brooks Range back country travel. Before we began, four of us stood along the river’s edge listening as Bob explained the most important rule of crossing the river. I expected something like, “don’t slip because that might be your last fatal move” or “unbuckle a heavy pack so it doesn’t bring you down.” Instead something so simple yet so essential to every aspect of life, the group is only as strong as the weakest member; therefore the goal of the group is to protect its weakest member. Standing there in the hot arctic sun, I couldn’t help but let my mind wander into a mythical world where we apply this lesson to everything we do.

Imagine a world where the winner of the competition is the person who helps the red lantern make it to the end. Imagine a world where the goal is not individual success, but rather the success of others. Imagine a world where we cared deeper in the face of another’s weakness. At a previous job another man I respect lives his life under the assumption that everyone is doing the best they can at any given time. This idea returns to me occasionally, most recently during a long day of nursing school lectures. Combining these two ideas, it seems I have finally met an ultimate goal for myself when confronting life’s biggest challenges: protect the weakest and remember the weakest might be the one crossing the river alone.