"We Need A Spaceship!"

Great Friends!  Luke, Jeremy, Me, Lynnette, and Jordan

Last week, I got to take a vacation.  I went to Phoenix, Arizona and spent the week with some very dear friends who I never get to see.  They are like family to me and I am so blessed to be "Aunt Toni" to their son, Luke. It was a joy to spend time with them, see some sights, visit with other friends, and cheer on Jordan at his football game last Friday.


While his parents, Jeremy and Lynnette were at work, I got to take care of Luke.  He is this amazing 3 year old with a huge imagination.  He looks at life with such wonder and excitement.  In fact, there is no problem that cannot be fixed with his new tools that he got for his birthday.

Aunt Toni and Luke

On my first day with him, Luke and I went outside and were watching a hummingbird that was in the tree in their front yard.  As it flitted around (as hummingbirds do) our conversation went something like this:
Luke:  Catch it, Aunt Toni.
Me:  I can't Luke.  It's too high.
Luke:  We need a spaceship!

Then Luke, went about finding and fixing his needed spaceship...which turned out to be the same tree that the hummingbird had enjoyed flying around.  Luke went inside and got his tools, brought them out and went to work.  Soon, he said, "Ok, Aunt Toni!  Get on." (My spot was next to a particular knothole of the tree).

Luke:  Ready?
Me:  Yes.  Where are we going?
Luke:  Uh oh.  It's broken.
Me:  It's broken?  Can you fix it?
Luke:  Yes.

And he would then go about fixing whatever the day's problem was.  Once it needed gas, once the key didn't work, etc.  Each day, he worked...but just because the problem never seemed to go away, he wasn't deterred.  It was just onto whatever the next issue to fix was.  The problems were not really a big deal.  They just had to be dealt with.

I wonder how often we are not as determined as Luke about the problems in our own lives.  When one comes up, do we fix it?  And if we fix it, but it breaks again, do we continue to try or do we just give up?

Too many times, I see people give up on fixable issues.  They live life for "happiness" and if it doesn't make them happy, then they quit.  But what they do not seem to realize is that the joy in life does not just come from the things that make us happy for a moment, but also through the work it took to get to that moment.  And the work it will take to get to the next part of our lives.  Often the things that we have to work on the hardest not only bring us joy, but also satisfaction.  I am happy when I have a birthday party, but I get joy out of throwing one for someone else.  You see the difference?  Both are enjoyable, but joy comes out of the one that requires work.

I can pretty much guarantee you that Luke's Spaceship will never leave Earth, but he sure is having a great time working on it.  He continues to go out and when a problem comes up, he'll "fix" it.  He's enjoying the journey.  For him, building the Spaceship is simply about the job at hand.  He's working on it...and he's not giving up.

Don't be afraid of the adventures that road blocks in life can bring.  After all, road blocks often involve detours, and you can learn a lot from a detour.  They often take us places we would not have thought to go otherwise.  So, next time a road block shows up, what will you do?   Will you give up? Will you worry and fret about the change in direction?  Or will you "build a spaceship" and keep going.  Personally, I agree with Luke.  "We need a spaceship."

Luke and his Spaceship