Making Your Bed is Step One
June 8, 2015 by Don Gentle
Last night’s rain was a soothing event. There wasn’t any thunder or lightning, just showers with some tree frogs in the background. As I walked up the path to the first full day of camp, I enjoyed the quiet wet air and the fog rising off the lake. I was surprised to be outflanked by the the kitchen staff on the wake-up bell. The bell started ringing followed by a spirited “Good morning High Rocks!” They were very proud of themselves. Little moments like that really help me appreciate the community we have created here. The kitchen staff here is amazing! Many of them have been here for years and the new staff are incredible! They take pride in offer up some of the best food for our boys.
My day continued to impress me as I headed over to the little guys at Hillside. I walked up with a resounding “Good Morning, Hillside!” After inviting myself in to their cabin, it was fun to see them slowly make their way out of bed. Next door Hillside II was already up and moving. The boys were all trying their hand at the first bed making at camp. I’m not sure about your house but for the Gentle’s, bed making is a challenge for the children, if it happens at all. These boys were working hard at getting it all sorted. I call this self-reliance, step one. Bed making is the quintessential step to doing things on your own. It’s right up their with learning to tie your shoes. The best part about bed making at camp is watching six of these little guys go nine rounds with the blankets and the sheets. Some were hard fought battles that ended in a hasty retreat. Other battles went on a little longer, but I’m not sure who ended up with the upper hand. All in all it was a good lesson and one that will come around every morning for the next few weeks. Practice will bring competence. They will get it. I promise!
The rest of the day in camp went just as well as the start. The rain stopped just before wake-up allowing all the activities to go as scheduled. We were just as lucky for the afternoon activities. Choice period was wet, but the boys took it all in stride and came up with some great games and events either in the rain or undercover.
The age groups are just starting to come up with their “age group names” and chants they will keep for the session. It has developed as a camp tradition over the years. I have never heard of a repeated age group name or chant in my years here at camp. I will share these details as they are refined. It’s funny how we like to identify ourselves in a group. I find this especially true with boys. Even the fiercely independent likes to have some sort of belonging, even if it’s with the independents. I feel like this is part of being human. We need each other. Once we find each other, we want to tell everyone how awesome it is. Again, I will share some of these with you as they are more refined. I heard many for the first time at dinner.
Our picture shooting is warming up. I promise to have more tomorrow. One quick note. Zoob and I sent out a quick email this morning explaining a few details regarding your son’s activity sign-ups, his cabin counselor, and some reminders about emails, blog posts, and parents day. Your son’s activity schedule that he selected last night is included in the letter. If you did not receive it, try checking your spam box. We sent it out to the primary e-mail address on file. The journey continues tomorrow! Thanks for listening.
Have a wonderful evening,
Don