Adjustments
A good friend used to say that “Life is just a series of adjustments”. His name was H.M. Barfield (Lell Harboe’s father who spent many summers helping out at camp in the “good old days”) and he was a very wise man who never hesitated to share his life widsom if asked.
As H.M. grew old and his body gradually failed, he kept his upbeat and positive attitude about life. He told me this little bit of wisdom as he recounted the events of his year which included the need for twice a week dialysis due to kidney failure. He accepted this new hardship with a grace and good humor that was remarkable and has inspired me ever since… the basis of his attitude was his enthusiastic embracing of the concept of adjusting.
Circumstances in life change (sometimes drastically). We either accept the change by looking for the good or we reject the change with bitterness and disapointment. A child who adapts to change is considered well adjusted and resilient: equipped to positively engage in society and live with contentment. Camp is one of the best places ANYWHERE to build this character trait. We see it every day and we think it is a foundation of any good camp experience.
I bring it up because of the dreaded homesick letters that some of you (perhaps many of you) will get in the next few days. If you want to check out my take on the homesick theme, read this blog on Resilience that from last year. It more fully fleshes out what homesickness looks like at camp and explains how we determine what course of action to follow. It is pretty good and I am tempted to just copy it into this update, but I have other things to say and many of you would find such an update redundant. So I move on let you know about our day!
The full moon last night was spectacular and the girls enjoyed it in great numbers after our Cabin Lip Synch EP. They ran around the pagent court catching fireflies, played on the see saws, rolled down the hill with squeels of delight, played tether ball, played Jimball, played Skee ball, and sat on the canoe docks to watch the stars come out. Many went straight back to their cabins to enjoy cabin Dance Parties or start getting ready for bed early so that they could have more time for cabin devotions. Bottom line… it was beautiful and showed a well adjusted camp community. I couldn’t be more pleased.
Breakfast Club this week is focused on Social Growth and today we talked about how to make new friends when walking (notice who is walking the same direction, smile at them, when they smile back have a simple conversation). In this way we make new friends at unexpected moments throughout the day… we will do this every day all summer long… a simple thing but a great way to grow Socially! The joke was “Hare Spray” (a joke my father used to tell, great for #TBT). Ask your camper if you want to hear it, best told not written!
The Food Today:
- BREAKFAST: Corned Beef Hash, Sunny Side Up eggs, and all the normal stuff (cereal, oatmaal, fruit bar, Berries, Greek yogurt, homemade granola).
- LUNCH: Philly Cheese Steak, french fries, oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, and Salad Bar (which is amazing… featuring humus, teriyaki tofu, babaganoush, chopped fresh veggies, kale, spinach, lettuce).
- DINNER: Chicken Enchaladas and the big salad bar.
EP is a super active and fun outside program for the teams… we build bonfires for the odds and the evens on different sides of the lake and the girls whip themselves into a frenzy of team spirit as they learn the traditional songs and cheers that will be featured in Saturday’s Challenge Day. Lots of fun!
Thank you for checking in. We are grateful!
By the way, today’s devotion was GREAT! On love… the theme of the year!