Take a journey with me to the small coastal town of Titusville, Florida. At W.W. James Little League Fields, a group of teenagers, as different as they were alike, gathered each and every Sunday for a game or two of Frisbee. Being one of these teenagers, I trekked out to the fields whenever I could to play and learn about life. Each game started out the same way, the choosing of teams. We lined up, schoolyard style, and waited for that fateful moment our own name was called. No matter which team I was picked for, the goal was always the same, to help each other win. It did not matter if I got along with my teammates, if I liked what they were wearing, or who their parents were. What mattered was that the exact moment we were all picked for the same team, we created a fellowship, a group of people with a common interest.
After teams were picked, Josh would drive his giant royal blue Ford Bronco to the sideline and blast his music, which set our mood; it sent us into a perfect world, free of distraction and pain. After jamming out for a few minutes, the games started. The field looked daunting at first, but the more people I had in my fellowship, the easier it was to master that field. Frisbees flew overhead; people ran up and down the field, names were screamed as teammates looked for an opening to throw to. No one played alone anymore. Teammates became lifelines, people to turn to when I was surrounded by opponents. After countless sprints up and down the field, each game eventually came to an end. Some games I won, some I lost, but each had the same outcome: new friends, new memories, and most importantly, happiness. Win or lose, I was living the good life.
Living the good life is much like the friendships made and the challenges encountered during one of these summer games of Ultimate Frisbee. We faced distractions, like Josh’s music, everyday, and we have to find a way to look past these noises and get ahead. In order to get by and live the good life, we all must grab the hands of our friends and have fun.
My friends are there for me, with outstretched hands, no matter what. They have pushed me forward when I didn’t feel like I could go on. When I feel like I’m being surrounded by obstacles, I just have to call their names, and they are there for me. The more people I have on my side, the easier it is to accomplish my tasks, but I know that even if I fail, my friends will still be there for me to pat me on the back and help me get better for the future. Life may seem daunting, but as long as I’m surrounded by people who love me, I can get through anything. For instance, when I was in the eighth grade, my cousin was killed in a car accident. The grief I felt was immense, I didn’t want to go to school anymore and I didn’t see a real reason to live. My friends were there for me in this time of need. They pushed me to go back to school and face everyone. Without them, I doubt I would have made it through middle school, let alone to college. As it says in Ecclesiastes 4:9-10, “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work; if one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up.” I fell but my friends were there to pick me back up and help me continue. Without them by my side I would have given up.
Friends can do this for everyone. Everyone has at least one person who is there for them all the time. Someone they can call in the middle of the night just to talk, cry, or complain. Without these friends, who would be there to tell us when we need to go on, when we need to just try again, when we aren’t trying hard enough, or even if we simply smell? These are all things only a true friend would do to benefit the life of another friend.
These true friends and the fun we have with them are the only things necessary to live the good life. So go out and make friends. Find something you have in common with someone else and start a club, group, or sports team. Make new memories and don’t forget to smile. A few years from now, you will look back on your life and wonder how you lived before meeting these new people, I know I do. As William Morris says, “Fellowship is Heaven, and lack of fellowship is Hell; fellowship is life, and lack of fellowship is death.” Go out and be alive, live in Heaven. Go grab the hands of your friends and play the game of life, because it, like the game of Ultimate Frisbee, has a simple point: to have fellowships and fun in everyday life. By doing so, you will always be happy and living the good life."
