Camping Con Crazy Kids

A favorite saying of mine is "Age is finite, immaturity is forever."

My soul is soaring. I'm smiling. I'm nodding my head visibly to a tune in my head that I wish everyone else could hear, and I can only guess my eyes are sparkling.

Youth.

An old track coach of mine once told me to come to practice excited because excitement is contagious. We all have off days, but that one "You can do it," super excited smile, or pat on the back may be the catalyst necessary for an amazing day.

The beauty of youth is how easily that excitement comes. Get a group of young kids together and the giggling commences almost immediately. Nicknames are made, like the girl, Tessa, who was nicknamed Jeff because she had 2 older brothers. Apparently this meant that she had an 88% chance of being a boy when she was born, so logically her nickname would be that of a male. Then there's Amanda, who has the other boy name, Merv.

That one's explanation eludes me.

A stranger who was deemed as "cool" comes through on her promise to visit at their campsite, and it's nothing but cheers all around. Hugs, laughs, and stories. Pictures are taken, jokes told, and memories made.

Two different generations, completely different backgrounds, different nationalities, different color skin...all come together on a public campground in Haines, Alaska. Come together, like long lost siblings.

There was a game introduced to me in Lake Tahoe called Kung Fu. It's essentially a way to play twister from a kung fu stance, with a bit of competitive edge. It's all about hitting hands, fluid motions, and getting caught in silly positions.

After being begged for salsa lessons, I chose to introduce this game to the kids. We played for 2 hours straight, chopping, jumping, and falling. We laughed so hard I got side stitches. I fell so hard, I have new bruises on my elbows. By the end of the evening, even the reluctant, "too cool for school" kids had caught the excitement.

Excitement seeps into your spirit, lighting everything along the way. It radiates from your eyes, your smile, and your soul. Jokes become hilarious, opportunities seem endless, and everyone around you becomes your friend in some way or other. It's incredibly easy to tell if somebody around you is excited. Generally it creates a smile on your face, and no matter how hard you try, your worries seem harder and harder to hold close.

You should watch sometime as outliers get pulled into a game. They sit on the outskirts, grimacing, judging. Then slowly but surely, their interest is piqued. They start to see humor in the silliness, and then suddenly, they are in the next game laughing as hard as they have all week.

Tonight, every single child and teacher was involved in my game. Every single person radiated excitement. Passersby stopped to watch, laughing at the ridiculousness, readily coming down with serious cases of excitement.

It was an evening I shall never forget. I gained 30 siblings, 30 friends, 30 fellow immature individuals. I caught acute excitement and spread it as quickly as I could.

I'm contagious. It's time you get infected.