On Sunday, my remaining staff and I cleaned like our hair was on fire. We got so much done it was unreal. It was hard work and I know they were tired and looking forward to being done with camp, so I appreciated it. The amount of work we did would have taken me days, maybe weeks to do myself. There are still a few places to clean and organize, and my dad has a lot of winterizing to do, but camp is in good shape!
As of yesterday, there were just 6 of us left. We packed up our stuff and loaded into the van to return to my house for the week. Each of the international staff needs to be to the airport on a different day, and since I live just 10 minutes away, it doesn't make sense to shuttle from camp. The ride home was long. We stopped at Target, dropped one of the local staff off in the suburbs, and then headed to the mall. The international staff want to spend all of their remaining money before they go home because they don't want to change it and lose value. J's plane left last night at 7 so the mall was another important stop for us.
After dropping J off, K, C, O and I finally made it to my house. It is nice to be at home, but I'm not able to relax yet. I still have people that I'm responsible for feeding, entertaining and making sure they are cared for. No, they aren't children, but they are guests and therefore needy. Last night, after a long, exhausting day, I was cooking dinner thinking, this must be what being a parent is like. You literally go from meal to meal, and in between, deal with other needs, and in the down time, they complain or tell you how to do things better. There is no time for yourself, and no time to relax. And my "kids" are independent college students, whoa re actually very nice, helpful and grateful for everything. I can't imagine what it would be like with actual children. So yesterday I decided I will not be reproducing, but that's another blog in itself. The point is, I'm not done yet, but I really want to be! I can't wait to not be responsible for anyone anymore. I just want to sit on the couch with my feet up, or go where I want, do what I want and not have to think, "is everyone cared for? Am I needed somewhere? What time will I need to be back so that I have time to take care of...?"
Today, I was planning to take everyone to the fair, but my good friend is moving to another state on Thursday, and I want to see her before she leaves, so I think my new plan is to drop everyone off at the fair. I'm feeling sort of guilty, because I should be there to guide them and explain, "this is the poultry barn, this is a deep fried candy bar on a stick, etc." but I am confident they will navigate the adventure on their own without needing me. After this week, I will go back to camp for a week of cleaning, organizing, etc. And then, I will have a full week of no responsibility. I will be able to go where I want and do what I want and see my family and friends, and sit on the couch and watch tv all day if I so choose. It will be glorious! But until then, I have 2 full weeks left of being completely selfless and focused.
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