24/40

When
I was last at camp I noticed that, on occasion, a traffic jam developed at
the beverage line in the dining hall. After some careful observation, I
discovered the cause of the congestion: some of the youngest campers.

Instead
of filling their cups with a single beverage choice, these kids create
concoctions by mixing random amounts of different sodas and juices
together, thereby taking more time to get their drinks and consequently
slowing down the line.

In camp-speak, this mélange of liquids is called “swamp juice.”

I wondered, and still do, why only the youngest of campers seemed to partake in this tradition.

I think it’s because they aren’t as acculturated to see the world the way we do – the way we are “supposed to.”

So, the next time you are at a restaurant where you can fill your own beverage, why not try something out of the ordinary?

(This fits in with the last issue of The 77% Weekly: childish and childlike.)

God,
please help us to see outside the box, color outside the lines, ditch
the recipes, and dare to see the world in a different light… if only
with our beverages.

Spiritual-religious exercise for the week: be childlike and drink something odd.

With love,

Rabbi Brian

Note:
if you are at a restaurant and there is an adult in front of you mixing
some swamp juice, you might be behind the editor of The 77% Weekly who told me she does this whenever presented with the opportunity.