i love camp because...

...I get to spend my summer with new friends. Camp is one of the most amazing places to make new friends because, as a new counselor, you are extremely vulnerable and so are your fellow counselors. If it is your first time counseling you have something in common with half of the staff members you're working with. This leads to open doors, which then leads to fast friendships.

...of the euphoric feeling of the first week of staff training. It's true. Camp is a magical place, and in the beginning it feels like nothing can go wrong. It may have felt like this especially for me since I am coming all the way from Florida, so my whole environment is new. Whatever it is, I love the feeling.

...it feels like I'm doing something worth my time. Camp is a wonderful place for both the counselors and the campers. When you enjoy what you're doing, the campers will notice and will have a memorable week. Something I told myself all last summer was "This is these campers only week at camp. It's your seventh, but you need to act like it's your first to make it memorable for them." How true that is. When you put your all into the week your campers, as well as you, will enjoy the week a million times more.

...you can make a game out of pretty much everything. Sitting at the water fountain getting your kids hydrated? Play "What's in Kaitlyn's backpack?" Camp counselors backpacks are a treasure trove. A TREASURE TROVE, I tell you!

...the little things are treasured in the everyday. When you're exhausted, you can slip into your own pity party more often than not. That's when you start being thankful for the little things. Like those sweet words spoken from a second grade camper. Or the silly stories that your campers make up. What about thirty minutes of quiet time with your cabin after lunch...that will inevitably turn into nap time for you. The most special of all is when you are doing a bible study and you just know one of your campers is listening and taking it all in. 

...somehow, someway, all of these things come together and are worth every drop of blood, every bead of sweat, and every tear that falls down your face in the heat of summer camp.