Choosing Gratitude (And Other Hard Things)

Tonight I want to share with you a slightly different version of my Reflect at the Rock I shared with camp this morning. Today I talked to everyone at camp about choosing gratitude over grumbling will make camp the best experience it can be.

Let’s be honest—grumbling is easy. It takes zero effort to say, “Ugh, why is it so hot?” or “I didn’t get the kayak I wanted,” or “Why does he always get to go first on the zipline?” The truth is - complaining is like carrying around a backpack full of wet towels—it’s heavy, it stinks, and it distracts you from noticing all the amazing things happening around you.

So what is the opposite of grumbling? Gratitude.

Most of us don’t want to complain, but why is choosing gratitude so hard? It’s not our default. It takes practice, courage, and intention to stop in the middle of a hot day, where things are not going your way and say, “Wow. Look how lucky I am to be here at Camp Highlander.”

At camp, we talk a lot about doing hard things. Climbing to the top of the Crow’s Nest. Jumping off the Blob (or actually landing on the blob when you jump off the dock instead of in the water.) Performing in the talent show in front of all of camp. Gratitude is another one of those hard things. It asks us to pause, to change our perspective, and to see the good—even when things aren’t perfect.Here’s the truth I reminded us all at camp today:

Gratitude creates joy. It lifts us up. It makes us more fun to be around. It turns ordinary moments into memories. Gratitude doesn’t mean pretending everything’s perfect. It means noticing the good even in the messy, muddy, sunscreen-sticky situations. It means recognizing that every single day here is a gift—and we get to decide how to use it.

But choosing gratitude isn’t the only hard thing campers learn to do here…Homesickness is hard. Missing family is hard. And yet, these are the moments where our campers learn resilience. They learn they can be sad and still enjoy the activities at camp. They can miss home and make new friends. They can feel nervous and brave the zipline anyway.

We’re not here to pretend it’s always easy. We’re here to walk with them through it. To remind them they’re brave enough, strong enough…that they can do hard things.

And parents — we see you. If your camper is struggling to adjust to camp life, it’s hard on you too. Trusting someone else with your child, worrying about them when they’re sad. Missing them fiercely while knowing this is good for them. But you’re doing it. You’re giving them the gift of growing up just a little, of building confidence, of knowing they can do hard things — because you can, too.

So today, let’s all choose gratitude - even when it’s hard. Because happiness is waiting for us all just around the corner. And after twenty-four years here on Old Forge Mountain…Highlander Happy is worth waiting for!

I promise!

Favorite Details of The Day

• Weather: We had a truly beautiful, sun-shiney day up on Old Forge Mountain today. Though the forecast threatened us with afternoon rain, the showers stayed away, leaving us with clear skies and bright sunshine to enjoy our activities and a day that felt like pure summer magic.
• Meals: For breakfast we had french toast sticks, scrambled eggs, bacon, grits, oatmeal and a fresh fruit bar. For lunch we had turkey and cheese ciabatta sandwiches, Miss Vicki’s assorted potato chips, and a salad bar and a sandwich bar. Dinner was delicious! We had chicken fajitas, cilantro lime rice, black beans, homemade guacamole, salsa, chips and queso. When the disco ball went off at the end of dinner, Bryan had us dance for our dessert! We all stood up to do the cupid shuffle in the dining hall before enjoying our delicious cinnamon and sugar churros.
• EP: Tonight’s evening program was Cabin Challenge. The theme was Video Games so cabins dressed up in their favorite video game characters, game t-shirts or themed costumes to compete in various challenges against brother or sister cabins. The challenges were musical ice buckets, Pictionary, Limbo, Hula Hoop Lasso, Human Wordle, Lightsaber Battle, Sponge Relay and more. In the finale of pool relays between Cabin 2 and Cabin 33, Cabin 2 took home the EP trophy winning tonight’s Cabin Challenge!