Christmas Party!

Summer staff begin training as strangers, not really sure of each other, unsure if they belong or if they made the right choice in coming to the woods for three months. By the end of the summer, they have spent 24/7, working, playing, hanging out, supporting each other through frustration and exhaustion, and have developed a bond that is unlike any of their other relationships. They hug and cry and cling to each other- now unsure how they will survive without being surrounded by this new family they've only known for 3 months, but feel so connected to.

In the weeks following camp, I get lots of emails and phone calls as staff adjust back to real life. It's not always easy- their friends and family don't understand what a life changing 3 months they've had and the rest of the staff is spread around the state and country, back to school and their real lives.

By the time Christmas rolls around, most people are back to their normal life and the ache from missing camp has faded.

For the past 2 years, I have hosted a Christmas party/ staff reunion. Both years I have made a big dinner, fabulous dessert and bought the cutest party gifts (last year it was photo flip books and this year was a gingerbread house box filled with a variety of goodies, including an ornament, candy, etc.). I also made several batches of gingerbread and icing so that everyone could make gingerbread houses. It's a lot of work, but I actually really like the planning and whole production of it.

Besides the preparation, my real motivation is the "ah ha" moment I know the majority of the staff will have. They develop such close relationships and then they mount the loss of camp, and by Christmas, they are wondering if it was really as important as they thought it was.

The first three staff arrived early and as I hugged and greeted them, Counselor B burst into tears. She'd flown across the country to be at the party and she just couldn't believe she was back! Each staff member after the first group was greeted by a deafening shout as the door opened and everyone celebrated the latest arrival. It was pure excitement and so fun to stand back and watch. I watched their faces flood with emotion and I could almost see their thoughts as they came together for the first time since the summer.

Halfway through the night, Counselor M leaned over to Counselor H and said, "I can't believe we're all here. It feels like we were never apart." Bingo! THAT is the reason I work so hard to bring them back together. The relationships that are built at camp are unlike any others they have and even months apart doesn't take away the connection. It's an incredible feeling of belonging, of being truly understood and feeling complete. Being able to facilitate the makes my job the greatest in the world.

And that, is truly the reason for the season. Merry Christmas.

Emerging Leader

The American Camping Association has 24 "sections" across the country which provide training and educational opportunities, manage the accreditation process, etc. Last spring, the VP of camp's section asked me to "help out" with the education committee, and that turned into me becoming the chair and joining the board of directors for the section.

One of my earliest memories from my childhood camp experience was along the sidelines of a day camp field. A huge group of kids was playing and while I had zero interest in joining the game, I distinctly remember standing next to the counselor, my arms crossed, thinking, "I don't wanna play, but I would like to be in charge of this." I desperately wanted a taste of the power that comes from holding a clipboard. That feeling never went away, and (even when I resist) I almost always end up in some sort of leadership or organizational position of every activity of which I get involved.

The board of directors is made up of several very experienced, successful camp directors, whose careers I admire and aspire to someday emulate. I am honored to be able to work with and learn from them.

Yesterday, as we reviewed the budget, I was doing my best to follow along and pay attention. But the entire page was filled with column after column of numbers and the only thing I could think of was a song I was making up~ "this is boring, this is boring, blah blah blah, blah blah blah..." And then I remembered I had gum in my purse and got excited. When I reached for the gum, I found a cool pen, and then the song turned into, "cooooooooool pen! Yeah yeah..."

As I sat, singing my song and day dreaming about glitter, all of a sudden, I snapped back into reality, looked around the room at everyone nodding, jotting notes and saying things like, "fiscal year blah blah" and I felt like a little kid who'd just been caught with her hand in the cookie jar. I self consciously wondered if anyone noticed how unqualified I was and I was genuinely concerned that I was going to get scolded like a naughty camper. I was relieved to see that no one seemed to notice me disinterest, but I was worried that perhaps I was actually a child, trapped in an adult's body. And then I started to worry that at some point, faking my way through the "grown up things" I don't care about was going to get me in trouble.

The meeting ended and I felt stressed out and worried about my fate as an adult. After the meeting, it was time for the annual celebration of the year for everyone in the section. Committee leaders gave the highlights of the year, the president spoke, and re-accredited camps gave presentations on their successes. Volunteers and board members were recognized with certificates and then, to my surprise, the vice president of the board announced that they would be handing out an award.

I was surprised because, as Education Chair, I'd done a majority of the planning for the event. Earlier, when we had reviewed the schedule of the day, I'd asked her about the award and she'd said, "we aren't giving anything out this year." So when she got up and described the "emerging leadership" award and then announced my name, my mouth dropped open like a pageant winner. I was still stressed out about not being a competent adult and genuinely surprised to be recognized by so many people I admire.

I received a very nice plaque, which, I hope, will inspire me to pay better attention the next time we discuss the budget or anything else I struggle to find interesting. Perhaps this is just the inspiration I need...

Update

I've heard from my readers (all three of you) and I am sorry that I haven't updated this blog recently. During the summer, I am constantly busy with a nonstop roller coaster adventure that is running a camp. I am surrounded by silly kids, crazy staff and every minute is out of a dream. Needless to say, I have a lot of stories to tell. Additionally, I don't have much time, so I don't have the opportunity to talk on the phone and keep everyone up to date on what's going. And so I am an active blogger.

Fall, Winter and Spring are less eventful. I love working in my office, preparing for camp and enjoying shorter, less intense hours than the summer. I have a nice, drama free relationship with a wonderful boyfriend. I have a great family and fabulous friends. I like to spend my free time crafting, cooking, reading, running. I like to volunteer. My life is awesome. But not particularly interesting. So I haven't had much to write about. Also, I talk to the majority of my readers on a daily (for sure a weekly) basis. So you know what's going on.

But I miss blogging and my dream of authoring a hilarious memoir is never going to come true if I don't practice writing. When I began this blog three years ago, I had just bought a house in the city and I imagined myself alternating between camp life in the wilderness (granola) and in the off season being Carrie Bradshaw (a la Sex in the City), sipping pretty pink cosmopolitans while wearing heals at a trendy club (cosmos). Apparently I was planning on writing fiction, because I'm not so much the trendy, clubbin' type of gal, as I am a sweatpant wearing, crazy dog lady.

So I'm embracing that part of my life and for your reading pleasure, please visit my newest blog- http://bulldogbrigade3.blogspot.com/ where you can keep up with my non-cosmo, non-granola adventures (I will continue to update this blog as well). Happy reading!