A Sweet Surprise

There are two things we absolutely need to succeed each summer at camp… great staff and great campers! This session, we are incredibly blessed to have both. The energy in camp this session is incredible! Everyone is so excited about everything—from cheering wildly when tomorrow’s laundry day is announced at breakfast, to screaming the legendary “Gus’ Chant” (our beloved candy and soda shack) to earn dessert. These campers are bringing pure positivity and gratitude to every single activity, embracing every moment of their day—even the sudden, shocking surprise of a bucket of cold water dumped over their heads!

Here’s the thing that camp has taught me about positivity over the years: it is highly contagious! This afternoon, I got to do one of the things I love most about my job - Apple Cart. Every afternoon between 3:45 and 4:30, one of the directors gets to drive to all the activities on camp, delivering crisp red and green apples to our hungry campers and staff. The first two days of the session were a bit hectic for me, but this morning I told our team that Apple Cart was my absolute priority. This simple task has become one of my favorite ways to see the true spirit of camp in action.

When the alarm went off on my phone, I hopped out of my desk chair and ran out the office door. I jumped in the golf cart and headed for the back of our walk-in cooler to load up. But when I got there, I realized the produce delivery was running late and we didn’t have enough apples. I turned around feeling disappointed, a little frustration started to set in, and then… I saw a shelf stocked with Cuties (mandarin oranges). No problem, I thought to myself. I grabbed the bags of Cuties, hopped back on my cart, and set off to find our campers living their best lives!

When I rolled up to my first stop at the basketball courts, I yelled, “Cutie Cart! I’ve got cuties for my favorite cuties!”

Immediately, one camper asked, “Where are the apples?” My excitement deflated just a little. Another camper chimed in, “Yeah, is the Apple Cart coming too?”

“No, I’m sorry,” I replied, apologizing for the switch.

Just then, a third camper ran up to the cart with the biggest smile on her face and said, “Well, this is such a nice surprise. I love Cuties!” Right on cue, the first two campers did a total 180. “Me too!” “Yeah, thanks Melissa!” My heart completely melted.

This is one of the reasons I love camp! Positivity is a chain reaction. When one camper chooses to see the glass half full, it gives everyone else permission to do the same. It is fascinating to witness, and it’s a beautiful phenomenon I get to see play out year after year. Having oranges instead of apples isn’t worth getting upset about, especially if someone else is grateful. One camper’s positivity changed my perspective on a problem. I realized it wasn’t really a problem at all, it was a sweet surprise!

Speaking of sweet surprises… Senior Camp got a legendary one of their own tonight! After a hot, sweaty, high-energy square dance out on the field, they were given the ultimate green light: to sprint across camp and jump straight into the pool with all their clothes on for the Senior Splash! They had an absolute blast, splashing, laughing, and cooling off together.

Whether it was the unexpected Cutie cart or a fully-clothed dive into the pool, today reminded us that the best camp memories are often the ones you never saw coming. Thank you for sharing your sweet, positive children with us. They are the best surprise!