This morning at Reflect at the Rock, before the first activity bell rang, I asked our campers one question: How do you want to be remembered at Camp Highlander?
Ralph Waldo Emerson once said the purpose of life is not to be happy, but “to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate… to have your life make some difference that you have lived and lived well.” That was the challenge I left with them heading into this session — to be the helper, the encourager, the one who includes someone who’s feeling left out. Not to be the loudest voice in the cabin. Just a kind one.
I did not expect the mountain to test that challenge quite so fast, or quite so literally.
It rained here on Old Forge Mountain almost the entire day — steady, no-apologies, all-day rain. The kind that could have easily soured a first full day of activities. But instead of sitting out or complaining, I watched our campers answer this morning’s question with their actions before they’d even had time to think about it.
I watched a camper hold their rain jacket up over a friend’s head so neither of them would get soaked on the walk to the rec hall. I watched cabinmates joyfully playing in puddles on the athletic field, laughing instead of complaining that the ground was too wet to play soccer. I watched kids duck into the dining hall dripping wet and turn right back around to thank the staff holding the door. Nobody I saw today waited for sunshine to come out before they were kind, respectful, and grateful. They were simply choosing to live well.
That, to me, is the whole lesson of summer camp already proving itself true. Living well was never going to depend on the weather cooperating. It depends on what a person chooses to do when it doesn’t — who they help, who they appreciate, who they make room for. A gray, soaking first full day of camp could have felt like a setback. Instead, our campers turned it into exactly the kind of day this morning’s challenge was hoping for- an opportunity.
Today our campers danced in the rain, stomped in puddles, walked with mouths wide open, genuinely soaking up every ounce of joy this mountain has to offer. My heart was so full seeing every cabin, each camper, choosing to live well while making a huge difference in my life and the lives of everyone around them.
Camp directors have a complicated relationship with rain. We desperately need it to keep the grass green, fill the wells, and sustain this place. But we also know that rain can be inconvenient and messy and can disrupt the plans we’ve carefully made. Today, though, your children showed me something I needed to be reminded of: rain is not a problem to solve. It’s an opportunity to create a memory. And I absolutely loved the way your children seized every single opportunity today.
Nobody needed a spotlight to make someone else’s day better. Nobody complained about the rain disrupting their fun. They didn’t wait for perfect circumstances or perfect weather. They just chose to live well — and rain or shine, these campers are here to soak up every bit of fun this mountain has to offer.
That’s the real lesson unfolding before us. Not in the sunshine or the smooth days, but in how we show up when things are hard. How we treat each other when circumstances are inconvenient. How we choose kindness, gratitude, and joy even when — especially when — we have every reason not to.
Here’s to a session lived well. Not alone, but together, with the people around us, we can make a difference. And today, our campers proved they already are.
Favorite Details of The Day
- Reflect at the Rock: Today I challenged our campers and staff to embrace every opportunity and to live this session well.
- Weather: We woke up to clouds and rain. The rain came and left all day long. The rain showers were heavy and consistent, but we had no lighting or thunder so the activities went on…rain or shine, we are determined to enjoy every second of this session!
- Meals: Breakfast was french toast sticks, scrambled eggs and bacon. We enjoyed fresh fruit, yogurt and granola. Lunch was turkey and cheese ciabatta sandwiches with Miss Vickie’s chips. We also enjoyed a salad bar and sandwich bar. Dinner was fantastic. We had chicken fajitas, spanish rice, black beans, queso, chips and homemade guacamole. I was on dining hall duty tonight, and as campers and staff were washing their hands to come into dinner, I asked some staff, “what has been your favorite meal this summer?” One said, “the flank steak.” The other said, “Greek chicken.” And then the first said, “ohhh, yeah that is SO good.” Then the first said, “no, I really loved the chipotle honey chicken.” And the second said, “oh yeah, that was amazing.” Then the third said, “This is too hard. I can’t decide. Everything has been incredible, restaurant quality.” At that moment, I wished our new chef Ateeba could have heard every word. He has been such a blessing to camp, and the food is truly exceoptional. Tonight’s dinner was simply outstanding! And will full bellies, we all agreed we still had room for dessert. Tonight’s dessert we had cinnamon and sugar churros. YUM!
- EP: Tonight’s evening program was Cabin Challenge. The theme was ESPN night, and cabins dressed up in whatever theme they wanted to. There was a Blue Man Group cabin, a cabin of frat boys, a cabin of barbies and many other creative combos. The challenges included musical ice buckets, scrabble relay, thread the needle, bolf (bowling golf), limbo, hydro hustle (LAX toss with sponges) and so much more. It was an absolute blast! In the end, cabins 12 & 3 were the top competitors and faced off in the finale. Cabin 12 came through victorious, taking home the EP trophy.
About Melissa Fitzgerald
