Epilogue Part II
This is the song that never ends. It goes on and on again. You know the drill. There are so many thoughts swirling around about camp, and closing it out (can I even really do that? Nope), that it does take a few times of putting thoughts to cyberspace to clear them out. Sort of like lifting the bed boards at Goetz and finding staffman of the year ballots from 3 years ago. There are just too many things involved in me putting my little part of camp together, and that some may share, for just one post. So here goes,
I was surprised as I watched the Staff DVD to realize how much I missed all those things at meals. Being the recluse I tend to be, and having way too much stuff to do at the store, it was usually a dash to grab food and bring it back. I would eat, just like back in High School, when we had band during lunch period, with ours being last, and we would get off the field late, and have five minutes to get a tray and eat before the next period. I will have to work something out next year. COVID facilitated my solitude, but I do need to change that.
And then, I come home from camp, and get an email for a roundtable for the Twin Rivers District, on Tuesday, August 4th. It was the last roundtable for the District, as it is being merged into two different ones. Miami and Linn Counties into Soaring Eagle, and Franklin and Anderson Counties into Pelathe. New professionals, to us anyway. So now I will be looking to volunteer in a different District. Cool. Proof, of course, that few things are stationary, but that with few exceptions, change is the constant.
As we wound down camp, I thought about what a hero my wife, Sarah, was in all of this. And while I name her, I could easily mention any number of other family members of staff and campers that didn't get to visit camp. I would get home from camp on Saturdays, usually around 2 or 3. I would haul my laundry in, and crash. We would usually have some sort of special dinner later, and somehow, magically, my laundry was washed and ready to go Sunday morning. It didn't matter what time I had to leave to get stuff ready at the store, the clothes were already done. She was sad about two things. Not seeing me advance to Tribal Council, and not seeing Runs to Thunder tap. She is probably not the only one saddened about that one.
I was never bothered by the daily temperature and symptom checks that we had to endure. I think that the success of the camping season was due in large part to measures such as those. The overtime effort given by those on the various committees to get camp going can not be overstated. It was miraculous.
As another chapter in my life is opened by my elevation, I do look forward to those new opportunities to serve. There are so many that serve on the TC that I am not sure how I will fit or what I will do, but I have been told it may be interesting. Though those weren't the exact words used.
I have really come to enjoy running the store, and hope that I get to do it next year. And no, it isn't because of the AC. Okay, maybe it is partly because of the AC, but mostly I feel that I don't do too bad of a job at it, and I know that it isn't something that is the most popular among senior staffers. I had such a good staff this year, but knowing that nearly every single one of them was probably underutilized, I suspect I won't get so lucky next year.
What is the saving grace that I can count on? If they are hired by Dave and Austin (Camp and Program Director respectively), then they will be part of the Camp Geiger Staff, one of the best in the nation. And I am not just blowing smoke saying that. I state that with blinders off, with a first hand account of how that staff works, not as a camper, or troop leader being awed by their brilliance daily.
My job is not quite finished. I have been asked to assist in mentoring to Eagle some of my former staff members. I take pride in doing that, and will work as hard as I can to help them get to that goal. No one knows more than me the regret of being a Life for Lifer. I don't want anyone to walk that path.
I will save the spiritual aspect of staff for me personally for the next blog post. I am feeling pretty good about this one, and just want to leave it with this:
I am a member of the Camp Geiger Staff. It is the second hardest job that I will ever love.
It is indeed swell.
I was surprised as I watched the Staff DVD to realize how much I missed all those things at meals. Being the recluse I tend to be, and having way too much stuff to do at the store, it was usually a dash to grab food and bring it back. I would eat, just like back in High School, when we had band during lunch period, with ours being last, and we would get off the field late, and have five minutes to get a tray and eat before the next period. I will have to work something out next year. COVID facilitated my solitude, but I do need to change that.
And then, I come home from camp, and get an email for a roundtable for the Twin Rivers District, on Tuesday, August 4th. It was the last roundtable for the District, as it is being merged into two different ones. Miami and Linn Counties into Soaring Eagle, and Franklin and Anderson Counties into Pelathe. New professionals, to us anyway. So now I will be looking to volunteer in a different District. Cool. Proof, of course, that few things are stationary, but that with few exceptions, change is the constant.
As we wound down camp, I thought about what a hero my wife, Sarah, was in all of this. And while I name her, I could easily mention any number of other family members of staff and campers that didn't get to visit camp. I would get home from camp on Saturdays, usually around 2 or 3. I would haul my laundry in, and crash. We would usually have some sort of special dinner later, and somehow, magically, my laundry was washed and ready to go Sunday morning. It didn't matter what time I had to leave to get stuff ready at the store, the clothes were already done. She was sad about two things. Not seeing me advance to Tribal Council, and not seeing Runs to Thunder tap. She is probably not the only one saddened about that one.
I was never bothered by the daily temperature and symptom checks that we had to endure. I think that the success of the camping season was due in large part to measures such as those. The overtime effort given by those on the various committees to get camp going can not be overstated. It was miraculous.
As another chapter in my life is opened by my elevation, I do look forward to those new opportunities to serve. There are so many that serve on the TC that I am not sure how I will fit or what I will do, but I have been told it may be interesting. Though those weren't the exact words used.
I have really come to enjoy running the store, and hope that I get to do it next year. And no, it isn't because of the AC. Okay, maybe it is partly because of the AC, but mostly I feel that I don't do too bad of a job at it, and I know that it isn't something that is the most popular among senior staffers. I had such a good staff this year, but knowing that nearly every single one of them was probably underutilized, I suspect I won't get so lucky next year.
What is the saving grace that I can count on? If they are hired by Dave and Austin (Camp and Program Director respectively), then they will be part of the Camp Geiger Staff, one of the best in the nation. And I am not just blowing smoke saying that. I state that with blinders off, with a first hand account of how that staff works, not as a camper, or troop leader being awed by their brilliance daily.
My job is not quite finished. I have been asked to assist in mentoring to Eagle some of my former staff members. I take pride in doing that, and will work as hard as I can to help them get to that goal. No one knows more than me the regret of being a Life for Lifer. I don't want anyone to walk that path.
I will save the spiritual aspect of staff for me personally for the next blog post. I am feeling pretty good about this one, and just want to leave it with this:
I am a member of the Camp Geiger Staff. It is the second hardest job that I will ever love.
It is indeed swell.
Comments
Post a Comment