Yesterday, it finally rained. And if getting rained on doesn’t bring you close to nature, I don’t know what else does! We have been enjoying sunny, perfect, gorgeous weather for so long I’d forgotten what it was like to get soaked. And this was our moment to shine. This was our morning to get camp fixed up and a bit of rain wasn’t going to drive us indoors or dampen our spirits. Every group was working diligently to prepare for campers arrival, whether it was staff working on a trail or felling a tree in the rain.
Readiness is more than getting everything looking nice. We take drills seriously. We have walked through numerable response scenarios and literally run through others. We timed ourselves and now know we can cover our entire camp area including cabins, soccer field and outlying peninsulas in 15 minutes.
We have been working to stay healthy by getting the sleep we need, eating the amazing food coming from our kitchen and gardens and by creating a healthy community for campers to enter. We have spent hours working on skills that hone our insight to let us see past what is happening on the surface and address what is happening on the inside so we can make sure each person’s needs are being met. Seeing the light of the spirit in each person takes practice and attention.
Of course, it’s also been a blast. We already had a staff “TL Idol” to spotlight some new songs for our repertoire. Belting out songs together is homemade fun that pulls us together like nothing else. Raphi Shamas has returned as full-time music coordinator and we’ve covered sheets of poster board with dreams of doing the impossible – of underwater concerts aka “Trading Post Legends Atlantis Tour”.
Your son can look forward to days on days of wonderful weather (metaphorical and meteorological) and when those drops begin to fall, they’ll be surrounded by a staff community ready to lead the way to resilience and enjoyment of the present moment.
“To live close to the earth as a working part of a healthy, diverse and joyful community”
— Mission Statement on TL staff handbook.
Peace,
Tulio Browning, TL Director
