What I do

This week has been one of the best weeks of work I've ever had. I work at a summer camp and the group of kids this week were just incredible. No whining, no frustrating behavior, no drama. Just kids that were excited to be there and wanted to try every different thing they possibly could. It made it very fun for my co-instructor and I because we got to spend our time creating great adventures for these kids. Not stressing over behavior. It was tons of fun, and the week went by way too fast. I'm so sad to be done with this group already.

Oh, and did I mention they were tough as nails? Especially the girls. It was amazing. One girl twisted her ankle pretty bad on our hiking day and kept hiking like it was nothing. Same girl the next day went over the handlebars on her bike, did a full flip, hurt her wrist in the process and kept on going. Another girl got hit in the face by a falling rock and ended up with a bleeding gash in her cheek. Her only complaint? That we wouldn't allow her to climb until we got the bleeding stopped and got it taped up. Incredible kids.

Even the ones who had never been in the outdoors much and were scared of everything just kept going. 2 kids learned to ride bikes for their first time and not only rode but managed to ride dirt singletrack. One even attempted the challenge of riding through a creek. (Fell face first and got soaked but jumped right up and cheered). One girl who was terrified to get in a kayak even on flat water ended up paddling through some pretty big waves in the moving water. Yes she screamed the whole time (Mostly yelling at me..."River! What do I do? River! It's not working! RRRRIIIIIVVVVVVEEEEER!!!!) and cried a bit, but she did it and was soooo proud of herself. She had a bit of a meltdown so I pulled her aside and talked to her a bit about how to handle her fears and how to think rationally in the face of fear. She was willing to try again, which was so awesome. At the end of the day she said that had been the best part for her, and actually listed that as one of the best parts of the whole camp. Another girl was terrified of heights and didn't want to climb. I talked to her about making goals and finding challenges for ourselves. She got up to where she said she couldn't go any higher and I convinced her to take one more step up. Then when she came down we talked about stretching the "I can't" line just a little bit every time you try something new. That you don't have to succeed all at once, but that every time you stretch that line in anything you do, you move a step closer to total success. She also said that that was the best part of her day, and also one of the best parts of her week.

Those moments, and these kind of weeks, are why I love my job and what makes it so, so meaningful for me. Some people laugh when I say this, but I see myself as much more than "just a camp counselor," and what we do with the kids as a lot more than "just summer camp." This is the kind of stuff I see myself doing in one way or another for the rest of my life. I want to create these kinds of opportunities for kids who have been abused, kids in foster care, or kids with other behavior issues. If paddling a kayak for the first time can mean so much to a "normal" kid, imagine what it could be for a child who has been told their whole life they are nothing. Imagine what succeeding in a rock climb while friends cheer them on could be to a child who believes that he/she will never belong anywhere. Just being pushed those little bits out of your comfort zone and learning how to push yourself can be so huge for any kid, but especially those that have never learned how to believe in themselves. Or those who have been taught through their years that there is something wrong with them, or that they can't be successful.

I have such a big heart for those kids, because I was, and still am one. It doesn't matter how many times the parents thank me and tell me how great I am. I still go home and question my worth. But I know that recreation opportunities like these have been big in shaping my own life, and I know they can be for these kids too. For all kids.

So that's what I do. I'm a camp counselor. An outdoor instructor. I teach kids to mountain bike, kayak, canoe, climb, and explore the world around them. And when I'm really lucky, I get to find ways to teach them about their own inner strength, abilities, and lessons they can use in their daily life. It's a good gig. :-D