Sparks flew upwards into the night as if to carry all the good intentions we were putting out into the world last night at Flying Cloud during our closing Friendship Fire of first session 2019. Campers spoke to what they appreciated about each other, and about Flying Cloud as a place – what it means to them, how it’s different from the rest of the world they inhabit, how they hope to carry the values and spirit of the things they hold dear about this place with them through the rest of their lives. Here are a few of the things that were shared.
“I feel like myself here, like it’s okay to be who I wanna be.. Not just okay, I’m celebrated for it.”
“I never got a chance to build a community before this summer.”
“Some things are different (than last summer) but it still feels like Flying Cloud.. The people who are here make this place what it is.”
“I like myself better here. I feel more connected with my friends and the world around me.”
“I made a spoon! I carved it! I never would have done that anywhere else.”
“I thought I’d miss my phone but I don’t anymore. I don’t want to leave here.”
“I was homesick, and now I’ll be Flying Cloud – sick. I already want to come back and I haven’t even left.”
Many more beautiful things were spoken, and even more were only felt – oneness, togetherness, contentedness. I couldn’t have said it better myself, Flying Cloud is more than a place or a time – it’s the people who live here who decide to make it a space where we support and uplift each other, and learn to celebrate community and all that it means to us. My hope is that all the Flying Clouders who left the clearing today can carry a little flame of Flying Cloud within them and that flame can find a tinder bundle to catch and take hold elsewhere in the world. After all, Flying Cloud doesn’t just happen. It’s born of hard work and goodwill, and that’s something we can all share with those in our lives.
til next time,
-Charlie