Simple Stupid Fun

Is money really a requirement for fun? Absolutely not! Some of the best times of my life were 100% free. Take this picture for instance. The can of shaving cream cost one dollar. Yet, one dollar provided us with hours of fun. And honestly, it was not the shaving creme that was so much fun. It was each others presence that we enjoyed so much. The best memories are made when we are with our loved ones. Often times, I catch myself complaining that my life in mundane or boring. But I could easily solve this problem by getting off my butt and spending some time with my family and friends.

D. Uchtdorf said, “...love is really spelled T-I-M-E.” How true is this? We show our love best by spending time with each other. So I am going to cut this weeks blog short and go spend some time with my family. I suggest that you do the same.

I Love You! But not in a Creepy Way

This is a continuation of the story from my last blog. If you read this weeks blog but refuse to read last weeks you will be lost.

So we began to walk back up the trail that had led us to the wrong destination. Keep in mind that this was one of those trails that is up hill either way that you walk. I already had blisters covering my feet, I was wearing steel toed boots that were quite heavy, and the sun was rapidly sinking toward the horizon. My buddy was taking far too many breaks, and we were running out of time.

After what seemed like an eternity, we arrived at the campsite that we had left earlier that morning. Two hikers immediately approached us and asked me, “Are you Drew and so and so?” of course we answered yes. They made us sit down, made us a meal, and waited until someone that knew us arrived. Maybe an hour later, two leaders of my youth group came looking for us. As they came closer relief immediately came over their faces as they recognized us and their worried looked quickly faded.

We had no time to waste and we immediately began to hike again to be reunited with the group. I had already walked about ten miles with a forty pound pack and still had nearly ten miles to travel before the day was over. Our leaders told us that they had contacted a search team. There were hikers looking for us, a group of people on mules who were searching for us, and if they had not found us before nightfall, a helicopter would have searched for us. Literally Hundreds of individuals were concerned about me and were going to sacrifice their time to assist me. The rest of the story is really unimportant so to end briefly, after what seemed like days, we were reunited with our group. One of the men in search and rescue let me use his night vision goggles and they were so legit!

I was touched to know that so many people love me and were worried about me. Sometimes it is challenging to notice all of the people that love us and are concerned about each of us. But I guarantee that each of us have a plethora of those people who deeply love and care for us. I am proud to say that I love each of you. My life would not be the same if it did not involve you. I have been blessed to know you. Thank you for loving me (assuming that you do actually love me, hopefully). I would like to end by saying that so many people love us and want the best for us. Although we will sometimes feel like no one cares about us, remember that Drew Shumway does care. I hope that my love for each of you is reflected not only in these words but also in my actions.

Choices that are made in Desperation

Today I hiked the Grand Canyon! We hiked; actually we ran down the Kaibab trail and hiked up the Bright Angel trail. But wow! I am so sore. My legs were cramping and I had no ibuprofen or anything that would ease my pain. Anyways, hiking reminded another experience that I had several years ago.

A group of young men and I went hiking in the Superstition Mountains when I was thirteen. I felt fine and dandy as I walked the trail with a small group of about five other boys. We heard panting behind us and turned around to see another boy who had ran to catch us. The pace that we were walking was not a slow one. This other boy who had run to catch us fell behind. I am a firm believer in the buddy system so I decided to have some pity on him and I stayed behind with him. We walked for several hours and in the back of my mind I thought, “I don’t recognize any of these land marks.” I reasoned that we were not on the right path but I kept silent because I was not sure.

As we walked, the trail just suddenly stopped, came to a dead end. We wishfully thought well maybe this is a shortcut and we just have to go off of the trail. But I knew that leaving a trail was a terrible idea that would lead us into the treacherous mountains to never return. I began to sob. I was confused and disoriented. I tore through the bush and trees trying to locate any sign of a trail, but my efforts were in vain. It is a good thing that the trail did end because we would have followed it all day if there was no dead end.

I fell to my knees, exhausted and distressed. I silently said a prayer that I would be alright and that I would know what to do. When I mustered the strength to get up, I immediately knew that we needed to walk back up the trail and see where we had gone wrong. So we began to walk back the deceptive path that had lead us to a dead end.

I will continue this story next week but I would like to share a lesson that I learned from this experience. When life is difficult and you don't know what to do, consider your options. Do not simply do the first thing that comes to mind. The first thing that entered my mind was, “Leave the path, and you will find the other trail. This is a shortcut.” If we would have decided to do that, I would most likely still be in those mountains. In the past few weeks, I have heard that a few people have committed suicide. It breaks my heart that people decide to do that because they think that it is their best option. But I promise that it is not the best option. This is just one extreme example of hasty choices; another example could be dropping out. Consider your options, think of the pros and cons, and of course choose the best option. If none of your options are appealing, then wait until a new option presents it's self. Last but not least, you are strongest when you are on your knees.