Hygge
We awakened to sunny skies, the aroma of sausage wafting from the kitchen, birds singing outside our screen windows, and that warm feeling that is best felt when we are deeply comfortable.
A couple of years ago our family enjoyed a wonderful trip to Denmark for an early March wedding. Frankly, my expectations were low (who goes to a Scandinavian country in late February?) but was I ever wrong! Denmark is my kind of place! The Danes are wonderful people, their food is amazing, their culture astounding, and their national attitude is in synch with Greystone!
Lots of smiles! Lots of DMC’s. Lots of good cheer amongst strangers no matter what the weather. As it turns out, they are famous for this attitude and even have a word to describe it: “Hygge” — (pronounced hyoo-guh) a word that loosely translates to “coziness” or “comfort,” and it’s often used to describe a vibe or feeling that you’d get from snuggling indoors on a cold day.
This is exactly what camp feels like this morning… cozy. Like we are all safely sitting by a fire, snuggled under a blanket, reading a great book, and sipping a cup of tea. It is a great feeling that is likely an afterglow feeling from the program last night.
Opening Vespers was so good. There were tears in a few eyes (mine amongst them) as we quietly left the FORT (it was raining, so we did it indoors). The moment was everything that we hoped it would be and I am sure the girls will remember it clearly at Closing Vespers. Beautiful.
Beauty, like most good things, is fleeting. A glorious sunrise or sunset is surprisingly fast most of the time. I often miss the moment when at the beach because I am fiddling with my phone trying to get a good photo. In the blink of an eye, it’s over. So it is with childhood, vacations, camp… the list goes on.
For a girl of 15 to learn this lesson is a gift of great value. Perhaps she will appreciate the crazy moments of life more with this perspective. We lit our candles, one by one (the light spreading slowly then suddenly every candle lit making the FORT shine). We held our candles high for just a few seconds, then blew them out. The lingering impact of such a thing is profound. Hard to explain… Hygge is as good a word as I know!
It’s another great day at Greystone (one of the best places on earth!). Clubs are proving to be as much fun as we anticipated. Lots of obvious choices (Advanced Painting/Wall/Riflery, Tennis Match Patch, Running, Sailing, Sewing, Backstage, Mural, Competitive Swim, Dance, Ropes, Putt Cove, Hip Hop, Weight Lifting, Yoga Sculpt, Bible, Synchro, Needlepoint, Pickleball, Songwriting, Knitting, Biking, Metal Jewelry, Crossfit, Glass Beads) and some less obvious (Hot Girl Walk, Newsies, Stunt, Debate, Hot Take, Eagle Watch, Pickers, Broadway Jam, Adult Coloring, Gazette). Clubs will be added as the summer goes on… they take on a life of their own. I think Clubs are going to be a HUGE hit this summer! Stay tuned for more updates!
One last thing… Catherine and I will be meeting with the Honor Council this afternoon at Club Time to talk about servant leadership. This is how we model leadership at Greystone where the higher up you go the more acts of service you do. I am at the top of the organizational chart but you will find me sweeping the Dining Hall floor after meals, pruning limbs, plunging toilets, and moving trunks with the rest of the team. We find ourselves enjoying camp more as we do unenjoyable jobs together. The Honor Council will be given a long list of service opportunities from which they will commit to about two hours every week. We think this is a foundational aspect of biblical leadership and are excited to see what the girls do with the opportunity.
A few details for the day:
- Weather Sunny, Breezy, High of 78, 50% chance of showers… perfection.
- Breakfast Waffles and Sausage
- Lunch Hamburgers
- Dinner Flank Steak, Polenta
- EP Team Fires (the campers will choose their mascots, elect their team captains, and learn their cheers). It is a big EP that sets the stage for our upcoming Challenge Day.
Thank you so very much for allowing your daughters to attend camp this summer. They are delightful.
Enjoy your holiday weekend!
P.S. Some of the photos I am using today are not in the camp folders. We have a professional photographer, Jared Wickerham who is at camp this week taking photos for us to use as we update the website and social media this fall. You will have access to these photos next week (they will be in a folder called “Professional Photos”). I suggest you check them out when we publish… they will be amazing!
P.P.S. Check out the video’s below from first week!