Hurdles on the Josephus Bowl

I’ve been mistaken for a lot of things in my brief tenure on this planet. When I’ve had a clean-shaven face, I have been mistaken for a 15 year-old (I am currently 23). I’ve ordered at drive-thrus and been called a “ma’am,” but I am definitely a “sir.” I’ve been a Calvinist mistaken for an Arminian, and an Arminian mistaken for a Calvinist (though not at the same time). Yet my favorite case of mistaken identity came only a few weeks ago.

Two friends and I were sitting in the Library lounge, or something like it, playing chess and getting ready to go to dinner. For anyone who knows me this will not come as a surprise, but for a matter of clarification… I am loud. And I mean loud in a boisterous way. This was no exception to that rule. Unfortunately, we were sharing said lounge with another student who didn’t seem to be annoyed too much with our antics. After a short while of our invasive humor, the student burst into laughter and uttered the unforgettable words, “You guys are hilarious! Do you guys go to Boyce [College]?” *Seeming to imply some sort of immaturity* To which I responded inaudibly, “What the…?” And then audibly, “No. Why?” To make a long story short, this guy (not at his fault or anything) seemed unable to believe that his fellow Seminarians were so easily entertained by ringtones and cheating at chess.

I’ve thought about this for a while now, and I’m a little confused? Why does it have to be that with age comes a dulling of the senses, if at the least a dulling of a sense of humor? What’s the problem with being amused with the simple things [such as farts, which will always be funny? And if that offended you, I am truly sorry, but I’d have to ask you to work on your senses of humor, because who isn’t amused by passing gas?]?

Perhaps I am a little immature, and maybe even to a fault. For instance today, after the bystanders raised $5.75 for the impossible feat, I sprinted (i.e. jogged) across the seminary lawn, or Josephus Bowl, and attempted to hurdle 3 large blocks of ice and snow. From the very beginning the plot was doomed, and the only reason I cleared the first block was the momentum of my slip before arrival carried me up and away. I persevered, fell 3 more times and landed on top of a pile of snow. And I had a dang* good time doing it. So did the guys I was standing with.

I say all that for this reason. Everybody chill. Lighten up. Some of us (myself included) forget at times that it’s not a sin to goof off and have a good time. Granted, there can be some serious issues with persisting in immaturity. However, not all acts of hurdling, mud-diving, and/or chess-cheating have to reveal such dreadful things. They can, after all, just be fun. This isn’t a call for “reckless abandon”; everyone isn’t wired the same way, and they certainly won’t have fun in the same way. But maybe, just maybe, somebody could lend a hand and we could eradicate the idea that Seminarians are uptight “know-it-alls” who can’t have a good time by being a little bit of an idiot from time to time. If nothing else, we might get a chuckle or too along the way.

CHEERS!