Summer Camp has a very special place in my heart. I grew up going to Beaver Camp in northern New York and started working there in 2016. Since then, I have worked at a summer camp in one way or another every summer.
Reasons why I love summer camp:
A relationship with the Creator and Creation are central
Creative and joyful energy is ubiquitous
People are there to be known and to know each other
Communal support is practiced and exclusion is not tolerated
Although we are never perfect, I have experienced these central ideas at all three camps I have worked at. At Bethany Birches Camp this summer as the Health Staff I learned to love camp in a new way. Instead of receiving a group of 8-10 campers to care for for the week, I had the flexibility to move between all the cabin groups as they needed me. Instead of being responsible for discipline, I was responsible for ensuring camper and staff wellness. This distinction was brought to my attention inadvertently by a group of campers during lunch one day. During the meal one of the campers noted that I am “the most chill person at camp” and others agreed that I was very calm and relaxed. Being someone who is very task oriented in school (preferring efficiency over presence to a fault) I was surprised by this label. Upon reflection I began to realize that it was my role as the health staff that brought out this new side of Jessie. It was in my job description to be calm. Removing a splinter requires steadiness. Understanding the back story of a nauseous kid can only be achieved by slow calm questioning. And a firm but patient voice is needed to reassure a child that their rolled ankle will feel quite better after a night of rest. This role forced me to leave behind my urgency and slow down. That evening I thought to myself, “You get to be the calm/relaxed person the rest of your life as a physician. How cool is that?!”
Adventures, good views, and dinner in a bucket pictured above.
After my foot surgery in late July (full story for another time) slowing down took on a pretty literal meaning. I was on crutches, still doing my job at camp but unable to leave the main building or participate in most activities. I did a lot of sitting with kids on the margins. I chose to experience this time as restful and rejuvenating. One evening I was sitting at the edge of the pavilion with a young camper who did not want to sit for the evening devotion time. It was raining and she decided to start playing around in the rain. With my cast on, I had to stay under the roof, so I was experiencing the rain vicariously through this dancing child. She must have seen the longing in my face because after a short time she came over to me offering to drop some water from her dripping body into my hands. The thoughtful gesture brought tears to my eyes. When she saw my joy at being able to participate, she began on the task of collecting water and bringing it to me. Sometimes gently poured into my hands, sometimes excitedly thrown on my head from above, but always asking “Do you like this? Do you like getting wet from the rain?” My answer was always YES.
This summer I found joy in slowing down.
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