I Can Sit Down In September

It's officially summer because my lustful fantasies about sitting on my couch doing absolutely nothing have returned. I haven't sat down in a week, and I dream of September when I can put my feet up... But I also really love this part of my job.

Last year, I didn't sit down for weeks at a time and there was a lot of drama, but 99% of it was because of poor planning, poor staff training and completely preventable issues that I was stuck dealing with as I cleaned up the messes of my predecessor. This year, there is still a lot going on and even some drama, however, everything I can prevent has been done and the rest of the situations that pop up are specifically why this job is interesting.

Counselor P has been in the health center resting and recovering since we returned form the hospital in the wee hours Thursday morning. The doctor had said he would be on antibiotics for the next 3 weeks, but he should be feeling better in the next few days. However, he wasn't looking or feeling much better, so when the camp nurse called me in on Friday morning and told me he had been coughing up blood he needed to go back to the hospital, I wasn't shocked.

Fridays are crazy at camp. Organized chaos- I am on top of every detail, but a lot goes on in a short time. Parents arrive at 1 and the closing program goes until 2:35 and getting everything set for the day requires 12 million details all at once. The nurse called me in around 10am, right before the camper closing prayer service. Bleeding staff vs. 12 million details.... I wasn't sure where I was needed more.

I have said the same thing at the camper closing and the parent program for most of last year and both weeks this year and I've pretty much perfected the best combination of serious/meaningful/funny/entertaining that I can. I pretty much lead the entire ceremony, so handing it off to someone else made me a little nervous, but a bleeding staff seemed to be more pressing.

I managed to write about 13 bullet points and rapidly (re- 3 minutes) tell S that I had to go back to the hospital and here's what she would be talking about in my place. I went to the Health Center and checked in with P, ran to my office and then started making a list of what needed to happen in the next two hours and what S needed to do and say for the closing program, but as I got to the second page of notes, I realized P wasn't dying, and whoever was with him would mostly just be sitting around anyway and that attempting to hand this day off to someone would most certainly end in disaster.

I walked into the chapel just as the kids finished singing and S stepped up to the podium. She and I made eye contact and she said, "Okay, now I would like to introduce the Camp Director who is going to lead us in our closing program." I went to the front and said, "welcome. Now I want to introduce A who is going to lead us in the camp prayer." The staff were all sort of shaking their heads at the revolving door or leaders, and looked on as I grabbed S and headed outside. In 40 seconds, I told her that we had to switch, gave her directions to the hospital and made it back inside the chapel to lead the closing ceremony just as the kids finished up the prayer.

Last day activities, lunch and then parents arriving followed. I stood in front of the parents and hosted a very well put together program and then spent the next hour and a half debriefing first with staff, and then with the teen leaders who are here for the weekend. I could almost feel the gloriousness of my couch as I patiently made it through each step of the day. Somewhere during all of this, S called to let me know that P has pneumonia (the tick disease diagnosis from two days before is still maybe correct, or maybe not, we have to wait a week for the results) and would be staying in the hospital for the next few days.

The meetings ended and I realized I should really go to the hospital. S, A and I gathered up some of P's things, headed to the grocery store to buy him some magazines and treats and then to the hospital. Upon arriving, I found out he is in the Intensive Care Unit in a closed room and I would have to wear a mask to go in and see him. He was actually in a pretty good mood and looking significantly better than I'd seen him in a few days, but it was still kind of crazy.

The hospital is 30 minutes away, so by the time I got back to camp, it was early evening. I was excited to still have some time to relax and lay on the couch with my feet up.

Except...

Upon arriving back to camp, I found that the majority of my staff were gathered together as D shaved most of the males' hair into mohawks. Amused, I got totally sucked into the ridiculous situation and Olivia was in heaven because the boy's were in a "let's chase the puppy" mood and so she was the center of attention for most of the night. They chased her while she literally bounced, flopped, flipped and smiled in her bulldog way the whole time. I wanted my couch, but how could I leave all the action?! By the time I got back to my cabin, talked on the phone with my BFF for an hour, checked facebook, etc. there wasn't really time to relax as I was ready to pass out in my bed.

Summer is a crazy, hilarious, dramatic, alternate universe that I have to enjoy while I can and I can sit down in September.