Camp Counselor

People ask me why I love being a camp counselor. Why did I love it as a young adult and why do I channel that part of me now? How I see it is that without camp counselors there would be no camp. They sing the silly songs, and dress up in ridiculous costumes, and get kiddos excited about color wars and games and arts and crafts. They are the ones holding the space for the magic. They are the ones sprinkling life and energy and brightness into it all. And as you watch them, you start to think, “Maybe painting my face and dancing around is exactly what I need right now.” Next thing you know, you find yourself on the stage at the Camp Talent Show or finally writing that secret note to the camper you’ve had a crush on for three summers.

But when you leave camp, the camp magic starts to fade. Part of the fading is because the sparkle of the lake is gone and the smell of cedar and paint from the Art Barn is a distant memory. And the fading may also be because your life doesn’t have a lot of camp counselors in it. There aren’t a lot of people showing you what freedom and fun looks like. There aren’t a lot of people telling you that you can do whatever it is you want to do.

But what if when you left camp you didn’t have to lose that part? What if someone could come with you to hold space for the magic? They could be your very own camp counselor.