There is a movie that both of my sons loved to watch when they were small, and I honestly grew to like it a lot too; it’s called Surf’s Up. It’s a movie about a penguin who wants to be a professional surfer, and through a series of coincidences, gets the opportunity to train with his favorite pro surfer. I like the movie because it had a good soundtrack and some really likeable characters, but mostly I liked the message.
At a critical point in the movie, Cody finally convinces Big Z to train him how to surf the big waves like a pro. However, instead of going out to train on the ocean, Big Z makes Cody do a bunch of ridiculous tasks like playing in the sand with some miniature wooden surfer figures. When Cody completes the task, he asks Big Z if they are ready to get in the water and Big Z responds “No joy man, no joy. Fail.” At the end of the montage, Cody realizes that the most important lesson Big Z is trying to teach him is that before he can improve, he has to remember that it’s supposed to be fun.
There are days when I get up and don’t want to go to the farm, but it is in those times that I try to remind myself of Big Z’s lesson: begin with the joy.
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