Written by camper Sam
Friday morning was one of those mornings where sleep felt like a five second deep breath, with the sun rising by the time you opened your eyes. Breakfast was sweet with laughter erupting every second, and food leaving the aftertaste of warmth. Today was the first full day of camp, which meant orientations.
We met with our advisee teams and took a tour of the land. We got acquainted with the lodges and swimming dock, and ate berries along the way. My advisee finished early, so we spent the rest of the time falling over laughing as we got to know each other. It was a time that I felt unapologetically joyful. Afterward there was a break period. I sat under a tree and shared a book with a friend. Someone who I had met my first year and kept a strong connection with. Then we met for Treating Each Other Excellently presentation, and it was the reminder of my familiar reality that I needed. We listened as staffers talked about micro aggressions, and how to hold people accountable when they are directly and indirectly hurting someone. Discussion was opened to the group, encouraging people to share their experiences with micro aggressions. As well as sharing things that felt important when dealing with approaching someone about a micro aggression they perpetuated. For me it felt like a safe display of vulnerability. After we spent the rest of our daylight laying in the field, on the porch, or getting to know each other. The night was followed by a workshop preview presentation, staff talent show, and giant cookies at 10:30 at night. But the things that meant the most, and made the first day the sweetest, are the small simple moments of contentment. Sitting in a circle late at night, drawing silently in perfect company, finding shapes in the ceiling or sky, or simply sitting close, existing together.
