There are lessons I have learned from summer camp. These lessons come both from working at camp and from sending my children to camp. Now that I'm back home, I have been able to put these into perspective. Here they are...
1. Everything is better if done standing on a bench.
It seems that if you want to get attention, if you want to add a little thrill, or if you merely want to up the fun ante, whatever you're doing, do it standing on a bench. It'll add that missing flair to anything.
2. Have dessert at every meal.
At camp everyone is so active that the extra calories are welcome. It's also nice to end the day with a little something sweet. Work hard. Deserve your something sweet at the day's end.
3. Salt everything, I mean everything!
Camp food is infamous. Brian, the Camp Ramah chef, does an amazing job, and the Ramah Canada food exceeds expectations. However, for days after I can still feel the water I am retaining from the salt overload.
4. Toilet paper is never over rated.
Toilet paper is rationed at camp. If rolls are allowed to flow out in abundance, they end up in all sorts of unintended places. But, you don't want to be caught without that extra roll. Make sure there's always a roll in reserve. You'll be happier.
5. No matter what it's labeled, check it again.
We found all sorts of mislabeled boxes and books while doing our job. When so many people are working together and over many years, mistakes are bound to be made. It becomes natural to assume the label is correct. Look closer. You never know what you may discover. Speaking of that...
6. Label everything.
Things get misplaced. They are dropped, left behind, and misplaced. If it's labeled there's a chance it may return to it's home. Give it a fair shot.
Amidst the cleaning and dusting (Did I mention the dust?), we found all sort of great things. We found Ramah lessons and activities, all in Hebrew, from 34 years ago. We found old camp videos. We found fascinating books by people we've heard of and even known. It was like digging through a time capsule.
8. Kids are like plants. They need sun, water, air, and dirt to grow.
Every summer my children seem to sprout. It's as if they stretch out, making up for a year of sitting at a desk. Out of their seats, spending active days, getting good and dirty, their bodies wake up and grow towards the sun. I've seen this, not only in my own children, but in the teens with whom I worked, my friends' children, and the kids I see from summer to summer.
9. Go with the flow, or the crowd.
It's great to just let go of worries and stresses, and allow yourself to flow along with life. The key is learning when to do it. It's okay to go along with the crowd when the crowd is going in the direction you want to be. It's also important to know how to pick your crowd, but when you've picked well, you won't have to worry about going along. It'll be right for you.
10. After all is said and done, something will be left to do.
After thinking we'd picked up everything, we heard over the radio that there was more. When we were finally done, and we had packed up and left camp, we suddenly remembered on more spot we needed to check. Four days of intense, dirty, hard work, we did so much. We even thought we'd finished, but there's always something else to do. Lo alecha hamlacha ligmor, v'lo atah ben chorim l'hibatil mimena; it's not up to you to finish the work, but neither are you free to desist from it.
11. You have friends you don't realize or even know yet.
Camp time is different than regular time. Thrown together every day, and separated from the normal world, relationships of all kinds are much more intense. Lifelong friends are made in moments.
12. It's never too soon to have a second childhood.
We grow up not appreciating our environment or the opportunities it provides. When you get the chance, relive it. Climb a tree. Make a s'more. Climb on a bench. Sing and dance. Enjoy!
13. The pay is never enough, but it doesn't matter.
If you're doing a job you don't enjoy, it doesn't matter if it's a great salary, the pay is never enough to compensate for the empty feeling you have spending your days at something without personal meaning. If you have passion for what you do, you'd do it for free if it were possible.
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