TOO MUCH GO

Divide the group into four smaller groups and assign each group one of the words listed below. Read the story. After each of the words is read pause for the group to make the appropriate response.
THINKAMAJIG "Back and forth" (move hand back and forth)
DOOHICKEY "Up and down" (move hand up and down)
WHATCHAMACALLIT "In and out" (cup one hand in semi-circle and dip other hand in and back out.
CONTRAPTION "Hee Haw"

Ever since the beginning of time, men have been competing with each other, each one trying to invent something that will go farther, higher, or longer than any other thing. There are THINGAMAJIGS___ and there are DOOHICKEYS___ and even WHATCHAMACALLITS___. Nobody really knows what each of these CONTRAPTION___S are supposed to do.

For instance, a THINGAMAJIG___ could be almost anything, and it probably wouldn't even have to have a moving part in it. The same goes for a DOOHICKEY___ or a WHATCHAMACALLIT___. Whenever a man sees a CONTRAPTION___ which has a THINGAMAJIG___, a DOOHICKEY___, or a WHATCHAMACALLIT___ on it, then his mind immediately goes to work trying to invent something that will outdo that CONTRAPTION___.

The man who really fouls this all up is the one who keeps trying to invent a better THINGAMAJIG___, DOOHICKEY___, and WHATCHAMACALLIT___. For in the end, he'll probably be competing against himself. One such ambitious man created a CONTRAPTION___ upon which there was a THINGAMAJIG___ and a DOOHICKEY___ and a WHATCHAMACALLIT___. Well after watching it work, he decided that the THINGAMAJIG___ needed to go faster and the DOOHICKEY___ needed to go higher, and the WHATCHAMACALLIT___ needed to go deeper. So he set about to correct it. However, in doing so, he completely destroyed the whole CONTRAPTION___, for when he made the THINGAMAJIG___ go faster, it hit the DOOHICKEY___ which he had made go higher, which, in turn, shot right into the WHATCHAMACALLIT___ as it drove deeper, and the result being the whole CONTRAPTION___ quit going, for each part had knocked the other part out.

So, in making things go in this world, let's always remember that some things are better as is, and, remember, we must have the strength to change those things we can, the serenity to accept those we can't change, and the wisdom to know the difference. If we remember this, we won't become like the man to tried to better the CONTRAPTION___ and merely ended up with the THINGAMAJIG___ and the DOOHICKEY___ and the WHATCHAMACALLIT___ all working against each other. If we remember this, we can really make things go!

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