February’s 28 glorious days begin with a prognosticating groundhog, who is quickly replaced by homemade cards, red roses, stuffed bears, and heart-shaped EVERYTHING. As Valentines Day looms over the late-winter horizon, declarations of candy-coated love are everywhere.
If you need a break from the pink-hued, treacly sweetness of this Cupid-obsessed Hallmark holiday, you are not alone. Forget the romantic love and the pressure to couple-up just so you can enjoy a crowded restaurant and sub-par chocolate, and focus on the love you have for our summer home. Camp love is real, and it is life-changing.
Our love for camp leaves us longing for summer as the snow falls outside. It makes us weepy on closing day when we have to depart. They say absence makes the heart grow fonder — and with less than 150 days remaining until the first day of camp, our hearts are bursting with fondness. We are counting down the days until we can be reunited with our true summer love.
Our love for camp makes us feel independent, brave, capable, and SEEN. We love choosing our schedules, deciding what to wear, and figuring out what to eat. We take risks that we might not normally take while at home, and we push ourselves to try new things. We love the feeling of succeeding at something new and challenging, and we thrive from sharing our talents with our fellow campers.
One of the biggest reasons why we love camp is that we feel more like our authentic selves in Greeley than we do anywhere else. We arrive on day one with a breath of fresh air, and abandon all preconceived notions at the gate. When you strip away the hustle-bustle of everyday life, along with the electronic devices on which we so rely for constant entertainment and engagement, you get emerging leaders, role models, and individuals who are able to slow down, look around, and take it all in. We can go out into the woods and get our hands dirty. We can be silly. We can be anything.
Our love for camp says that we crave genuine friendship. It is the bonds we form over the 7 weeks of summer that teach us what qualities we need in a friend and what qualities we aspire to carry within ourselves. Our camp friends see us first thing in the morning, as we wipe the sleep from our tired eyes, and they see us at our lowest moments, from missed basketball shots to missing home. They stand by our side as we process a crushing Frontier Week loss. They accept our pure and honest reactions because they, too, understand the significance of the moment. We feel safe, and we feel like a part of something that is bigger than any one person.
This Valentines Day, whether you are celebrating with a loved one or rolling your eyes at Cupid, remember your love for camp and how that makes you feel. Then close your eyes and think about the love that awaits you on June 28th.
Happy 4 months until camp!