My heart was full today as I saw the cabins back together again. After an intense few days of competition and cabin division, I am so proud of the way our cabins have come back together as one, the way they should always be. Cabins were so happy to leave their teams behind and bond as a cabin family, embracing camp and their last few days together. I can hardly believe we have 4 days left of camp. The summer has flown by, and this session has been too quick yet oh so wonderful!
As the end of camp approaches too fast, we choose to appreciate the present. This is a valuable life lesson learned at a young age - all we have is the present, so we must embrace it and enjoy it as the gift that it is to us. This is the gift of Camp Highlander…of sweet friendships…of incredible adventures…of growth and wisdom…of being young and free to enjoy life.
Lead with action and let the feelings follow.
While I was out at activities today, I visited the climbing wall and spent some time with a boys cabin. They were lounging around, not climbing, and I asked them, “Hey guys! How’s it going? How are you feeling?” “Tired,” was the majority of their responses. I decided to take this opportunity to tell them that honestly, they could be tired at my age…they could be bored next week or the week after when they are in school…but today, they had this moment, this activity, this opportunity…I encouraged them to take it and make the most of it. Then one of the boys said, “Ok. It’s time for me to climb.”
Isn’t that the challenge we all face? We often just sit in our feelings and live there, instead of making our mind up and doing what we know we should. The truth is, when we DO first, then we FEEL. One by one, the rest of the cabin followed and before long laugher, joy and fun filled the air!
Favorite Details of the Day
- Weather: We had another beautiful, HOT day on Old Forge. There was the lightest rain that came just around the time that I was making my apple cart round this afternoon and it was a welcomed “cool down” from the heat. We moved cookout inside for this reason, but the storm just passed over us and never really hit the mountain.The high today was 88 degrees and the low is 64 The temperatures dropped a little this evening, making square dance in the gym not too hot!
- Meals: Breakfast this morning was cinnamon rolls, bacon, scrambled eggs and our fresh fruit and yogurt bar. Lunch was walking tacos with homemade guacamole, fresh salsa, all other taco fiings and a salad and sandwich bar. For dinner we had cookout with Bryan’s amazing hamburgers, hotdogs, pasta salad, potato chips, cold watermelon slices and warm chocolate chip cookies!
- EP: Tonight we enjoyed our last square dance of the summer, and it was amazing! The smiles, the laughter and the joy on every face in the Gillespie gymnasium said it all…we have been dancing our way through camp for the past two and a half weeks, and to be honest we just don’t want this dance to end.
About Melissa Fitzgerald
