My Year in a Nutshell

Every three to four months, the staff that I work with is asked to write a report to the board of directors for our camping system.  In these reports, we are asked to give life updates—most of them pertaining to what we are doing in relation to our job descriptions.  But, they are genuinely interested in our personal lives and want to know what we are doing to keep ourselves happy and healthy outside of the work place.

It’s usually around this time of year that I take the most time to reflect.  Since I was in junior high, I marked my years in two different ways.  I kept track of time like most people based on the calendar year that starts in January.  But, I also mark a year of time right around now (the month of September).  There are multiple reasons for this.  Summer ending and moving into another school year was usually a big transition and I loved that my year always ended with going to camp but began with school.  For those that know me well, they know that these are two things in life that I LOVED!  Camp was a great way to end that time and school to begin another.  It also happens to be the month of my birthday, which also marks my years for me.  So, it seems to make sense to me that I would keep track of time in this way, also.

We have another board meeting approaching in October and in this report I usually include all the highlights from the summer but also the things that I’m looking forward to as we approach another camp year. (We also seem to count years by summers, so it is quite convenient for me and my preference of counting)  It is natural for me then to reflect not only on what has been happening with me professionally but also in my day to day life outside of my work so that I can make adjustments and look toward my hopes and dreams for the future.

In the words of a dear friend from high school, “A lot can happen in a year!”  And, as I take a jog down memory lane, these words ring true.

Around this time last year I had the opportunity to be apart of many new relationships.  I started dating a dear man that introduced me to a group of wonderful people.  As time went on and relationships grew, I began to wonder where I had been the past three years.  Until this time, many of my friendships were with people that I either saw on a daily basis at work or hardly at all due to distance.  I have been blessed to have gotten to know many of these friends over the course of the year and I’m hoping that those relationships continue to grow.

Over the next six months or so following that time, I got the chance to love someone in a way that I hadn’t in a long time and it felt good to let walls and guards down.  And although that relationship didn’t make it, there were so many things that I learned and got to experience during that time.  I discovered the wonders of a state I had never been to, go to my first big twelve football game, and I grew in ways that I didn’t know I could.  I saw compassion and care for others from this person almost on a daily basis and I was in awe of what it did for those around him.  I wanted to push myself to be more like this and over this past year, I have found myself taking more time to slow down and take in what is around me so that I can make others happier.

And following that time, I have jumped head first into being more active.  I have taken up running and swimming, and with some nudging from friends, I may invest in a road bike to round out my workout routine.  I have found joy in making my body work hard and I have seen results in more ways than one.  My body is becoming healthier and I am more and more happy with its appearance as the days go by.  But, what I am most proud of and excited about is that I am now able to do things that I would have laughed about a year ago.  I got lifeguard trained and certified for the first time at the age of twenty-six and just ran a distance race that was longer than a 5K.  A girlfriend of mine has somehow convinced me that I am ready to start training for my first half marathon that we are hoping to do in February, so training for that will begin shortly.

This summer was phenomenal! There are so many things that I could say about it that I’m worried if I start, I may not be able to finish.  Or, this blog will turn into something of a novel and I don’t want to bore readers much more than I already might.  But, I should share a few highlights because I giggle every time I think about them.

Highlight #1: Getting to work as a summer staff member during the weeks we were tight on staff.  It was a great hands-on experience and a reminder of why I love what I do!

Highlight #2: 8yr old camper weighing no more that 60lbs having a voice that boomed louder than any adult that I knew singing the “Taco Bell” song. 

            “Mmmm. Yeah. Burrito. Yeah!”

Highlight #3: Staff member at day camp during music rotation letting campers lead their favorite song for the group.  One camper chose “Sixties Party”.  The next few minutes played out as such…

Staff: “Ready so-and-so to lead that song?”

Camper: “Yep. It’s a sexy party in a sexy movie…”

Staff: “…Sixties party! Sixties party!”

Camper: “Oh yeah.  I’ll start over…It’s a sexy party in a sexy movie…”

Staff: “SIXTIES party.  How about I help you lead the song?”

Camper: “Awesome!  Thanks!”

Highlight #4: Getting to lead devotions for staff.  My favorites are when I got to read children’s books as a part of them.  (I think most staff secretly liked those the best, too because I have gotten quite a few Skippyjon Jones things since that time) 

Highlight #5: Getting to be a part of the crew to light fireworks for the campers during our 4^th of July celebration.  There is something really magical about seeing them explode directly above you.

And now, as the autumn and my favorite time of year approaches, I begin to make plans that take me into the future and help to develop new relationships that are forming.  So many great things have happened in the past twelve months and I can’t help but find myself getting nostalgic when I hear a certain song or visit a certain place with a specific group of people.  I look forward to creating new memories as this next year begins with relationships that are new and old, but with me I will carry all the fond moments of the past.  Here is to another great year!