A few weeks ago I got to go to Camp. Yes Camp Spearhead, one of my happiest places. I love camp but mostly I love the people- those amazing campers (all of whom have special needs) who bring me such joy. I got to spend an entire summer after my junior year working there, making some incredible memories and even better friends. But going back somewhere is always hard, even more so when the camp itself is completely different. To say they're not a lot a like is the understatement of the century. The camp I worked at was well-worn, full of little trails and sidewalk cracks (not the best when pushing a wheelchair up a hill), paint covered craft tables, a mildly dangerous lake, the stuffy counselor area where we spent many a night watching dumb movies. It was so visibly well-loved and full of so many memories, for campers and counselors a like. I was so nervous to return, mostly because I knew it would be so different. I could not fathom how nice the new camp is, how much more accessible it is, the cleanliness of it, knowing that it was so obviously designed specifically for some really incredible people. But of course I miss the old camp- I always will. Its where I spent my summer and many weekends. Its where I met some amazing people. Its where certain campers changed my life forever. Its where my bed for a summer said "Miss Allison, that's a rat" (true story!). I got to see the Thursday night Talent Show, some of my favorite campers, friends I haven't seen in almost 2 years, got to get gas at the world's sketchiest gas station at 11pm, and mostly I got to go back to place where I feel home. Returning made me miss it so much but also let me turn a page at the same time. I got to see it, experience it, breathe in the mountain air, hug so many people, and take it all in. Even more, it made me see how glad I am for my life to be going in the direction that it is and why I'm doing what I'm doing. Going back is bittersweet, knowing that I won't again get to be a 21 year camp counselor but the reward of seeing campers grow up, of the many hugs I got to give and receive was so so sweet and so worth the 8 hour round trip.
But really visit www.campspearhead.org to read about how incredible it and how it changes peoples lives :)
"Now we're kinda different but we don't care..."
Preparing to sing "World's Greatest"
My sweet sweet girl
One of the most wonderful people ever
A new camp tradition
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