Wednesday, April 20, 2005
There was a decorated general with a heart of gold...
Looking back, I’m sure that in some previous life I would have found it amusing that on April 20th I’m already in the “get to camp” mode.
Having said that, I would have never imagined that I would have been ready for camp four months ago.
I’ve been trying to remember all day who presented it, and in the end I’ve settled on Craig Burt. We all have heard of being camp sick, but he put it in another way entirely.
It isn’t camp sickness that has kicked in during those cold winter months.
It’s homesickness.
And that’s preciously how I have felt the past few months. For various reasons, my life at home is full of… tension. I blame it on growing older.
You can look at camp staff any number of ways. It’s a way to be with your friends, a way to give back to Scouting, a way to better yourself, something that looks good on college applications, or a way that maybe, just maybe you can make a difference in that one kids life.
Looking at these past four years, I can say that without a doubt I have achieved all of those mentioned reasons.
However, in my eyes I haven’t done them well enough. There are years that I’ve been a good staff member. There are years that camp has given me much more then I have given it.
This summer, I resolve to give back as much as I can. Anymore, that and friends are the reason I keep returning.
Friends… the ones you make there are the ones that will last a lifetime. Don’t believe me? Look at the guys that worked in the mid 60’s.
I’ll be the first to admit that camp can be full of… drama. And I’ll also be the first to admit that I have instigated more then my fair share of it, for various reasons that at the time seemed to be legitimate.
I’ve seen friendships made, then unmade over something stupid, only to years down the road to immerge again.
There are two ways to go about camp.
Partake in the drama, revel in it, in the feeling of control you have and the intense satisfaction when things go the way you want them to.
Or turn away from it, pour all of yourself into the work you do there, whether people are around to see you or not.
In the end the choice, and the way your summer goes, is up to you.
Think long and hard about that.
John posted at 6:57:00 PM
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