Yesterday at church it was "Camping Sunday." They brought in someone from my old camp to tell stories, sing campfire songs, and make s'mores with the kids. See the camp I went to every year was a Christian Camp, called Pathfinder Lodge. It's right outside Cooperstown, NY, and it was amazing. The days we went were interesting in the beginning...plain old log cabins with bunk beds, dirty bathrooms, no showers, but it was ok. It was part of the adventure of camping. If we wanted to shower we had to "Polar Bear" it, which meant getting up at like 6 in the morning and going down to the lake (which was VERY VERY VERY cold) that early in the morning, and we bathed in our bathing suits. By the time I went for my last year of camping, they had showers and were beginning to build new "cabins" which now look like suites. Totally insulated and away from the elements. I should go back and see how many of those have replaced the actual cabins. So during Camping Sunday I started to think about the friends I made and wish I had kept in contact with. I also sang and did the motions to every camping song they sang (it's a wonder how fast it all comes back). The campfires were awesome. Every night you got to gather around a campfire and sing the songs you learned, they told a story and ended the campfire in prayer, before the counselors led you back to the cabins. It was such a wonderful feeling to be surrounded by all these people that felt the same way as you and didn't care who you were. You were all there to have a good time and connect as Christians.
Of course there was swimming and arts and crafts at camp. They often played soccer, volleyball, and took you out on the boats. They had a camp shop to buy items and a snack shop. There was often some free time in the day where you could pretty much do what you wanted, so you'd hang out in the water or go do some arts and crafts. Also during the week they would label a few days, like "Backwords Day". That was my favorite, you dressed backwords, some people walked backwords, and the best part was eating your dessert first (it was backwords day after all!) You even had to sing for your mail during the week. That was pretty embarrasing, but in hindsight, very funny.
You know you think as a kid how great it would be to grow up and be able to do things you can't as a kid. I remember hearing people tell me that you whould enjoy being a kid as long as possible, and I guess I never understood that until looking back on what I've done throughout my life. I was anxious to get my first job at 14, and I did, but I can honestly say I finally realize...they were right. You should enjoy being a kid. You have the rest of your life to be an adult. I'll be working for the rest of my life. For now I love what I'm doing but my little trip down memory lane has taught me to appreciate everything in life. You don't know how much longer you'll be able to do it or hold onto it. Everything in life is precious, don't take it for granted.
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