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!

2012: New year...New Challenge

The New Year is always an exciting time for me.  I, like most people, take the last few weeks of December to reflect upon the year and look for healthy and positive adjustments for the upcoming twelve months.  Many of us refer to these changes as our New Year’s resolutions, but I tend to refer to them as my “challenge(s) for the year”.

Two years ago, I decided to see what it was like to be a pescatarian for a year.  When I told fellow coworkers, family, and friends that I had made it my goal to eat no meat other than what comes from water sources i.e. fish, shrimp, etc., they couldn’t wrap their head around why I would do such a thing.  To be honest, I wasn’t really sure why I had decided to do this, either. 

Coming from a small town in Texas, it was almost unheard of for someone to be a vegetarian or anything of the like unless it was for special circumstances.  I really hadn’t been exposed to this lifestyle until my first summer as a summer staff member at a camp.  Working on a summer camp staff since 2005, I have met many young people that have dedicated their lives to this style of eating.  I didn’t get it.  Over the years, I have found that each person had their own reason behind their diet and for the year 2010 I decided to come up with my own reason to cut most meats from my diet—I needed a challenge.

I was successful but it wasn’t without a few almost mishaps.  Who knew you couldn’t eat all vegetable soups?!  The year 2011 rolled around and a good friend/neighbor took it upon himself to welcome me into the New Year with my first piece of meat.  That bacon was delicious…until it made me sick.  A word to the wise: If you take meat out of your diet, SLOWLY incorporate it back in.

Last year, I decided to say, “See ya later” to sodas.  This one wasn’t nearly as tricky as the year before.  However, I found it much harder to do than I had expected.  The cravings for a ginger ale or Fresca began to subside as the months went by and I was able to check this challenge off as a success for the year of 2011.  Since the beginning of this year, I have had one or two sodas to satisfy the craving, and I have found that it hasn’t been hard to say no to it most days.

As December rolled around, I began thinking of all the possibilities of new challenges that I could take on for the upcoming year.  I decided, instead of taking something out of my daily life, I would add something to it.  I have known people to take on a discipline during the season of Lent rather than to give something up and I thought that I would apply that concept to my life as I headed into the next 365ish days.

I began this blog at the end of last year and I always appreciate it when the blogs that I read stay current.  So, to those that read this, I have committed to trying to write at least twice a month.  Like I said in my first entry, I have always loved writing.  But, I have found that it takes true discipline to sit down and actually do it.  Thus, this is the challenge I have decided to take on.

And, just like most people that make resolutions, I still felt the need to do something good for my body, not just my mind.  I have a gym membership already, but I can’t always find the time to go regularly.  Working out makes me a much happier person.  So, I decided that I needed to find something that I could do almost daily and that I would feel guilty about it if I didn’t do it.  Let’s face it, people buy gym memberships hoping that the money they put in will be the incentive to keep them going. 

I dropped the big bucks and bought my first infomercial work out system.  Here is the time to laugh at me.  I never thought I would be a person to do such a thing, but I really want that gray Insanity t-shirt at the end of the sixty days ;-).  Honestly, I don’t really care to have the shirt but I have gotten the dvd’s, calendar of work out’s, and nutrition plan in the mail and for the past week, I have dedicated about an hour to each work out.  I have gone through pain, sweat, soreness, and maybe a few tears, but I have found that it is a regimen that I really enjoy.  For those of you that don’t know what the Insanity work out is… think back to your toughest day in high school athletics or gym class and then multiply that by however hard unimaginable is.  For me this number is about a ten.  Thanks Shaun T for kicking my butt but getting it into shape, as well.

I’ll have to keep you all updated on this year’s challenges.  And to all those that have made a resolution, stick to it!!  I have found that it feels extremely rewarding as the last few days of the year are upon you.