Reaching for the Sky, and Landing on the Stars

September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month which means I have to talk about CR4TS. Actually, I am surprised I haven't mentioned Camp before, especially since it's such a priority and passion in my life. I guess I never realized the connection between camp and traveling. But 3 weeks out of the year, I travel to a magical place. A place unlike any other. It's like being over the rainbow, walking along the yellow brick road into the Emerald City.  Like entering the wardrobe and coming face to face with Naria, and all her creatures.  Like opening that umbrella and being swept among the chimney tops of London.  Camp makes dreams come true, and produces the brightest stars.  Yes, the Eiffel Tower is a sight worth seeing, as every hour it lights up the night, reflecting silver and gold jewels in the flowing Seine below. But I've seen better. I've seen a child battle leukemia while smiling under a mask of face paint.  I've seen children go through chemo and still have enough strength to play dodge-ball.  I've seen siblings let loose with laughter after months of waiting in the shadows.  I've seen pain and sadness, as well as love and hope.

As an 8 year veteran, the map of camp is embedded in my heart.  Easily I can close my eyes and allow my feet to follow my instincts, the well-worn and familiar paths I see but once a year.  Unlike the winding alleys of Rome, I never lose my way.  I know every face and name, every story and song. As in all travels, exhaustion is a foe to watch for; nothing ruins the experience of a journey like exhaustion, especially when that adventure deals with energy filled kids. Oh these kids! They have dealt with so many hard-hit blows, surviving all of them with such grace and beauty.  It continually brings tears to my eyes.  I want to bandage them all up and take them home, spoon feed them happiness and laughter, faith and hope.

Throughout any travels, meeting new people is a large part if the experience, it is what makes the memories stronger, more vivid.  Nothing beats human interaction. And camp provides that in droves.  Like hitting the jackpot at the penny machine.  They are the reason I come back each year.  The reason I came back from Europe when I did.  I had to be at camp.  No exception. Period. I yearn to watch them grow and learn and live.  It's a pure and beautiful thing.  No sunrise in Sweden can match it.  Okay, it might come close. But traveling is so much more than transporting yourself to other lands, across borders and bodies of water.  It is also an emotional and spiritual transformation and journey.  Another baby step to learning about the real you.  Camp may be in my neighborhood geographically, but personally, it is one hell of a trip.  The best ones should render you speechless, where frustration begins to build as you search for the right words to explain what you experienced, felt and saw.  No one can truly understand what you have been through unless they themselves have been down the same road.  After coming back from Europe, I found it so difficult to relate to my surroundings.  All of a sudden, my world, my perspectives, were so much bigger, deeper, more cultured.  Camp is the same.  It's a club, society, family; all bonded together by a shared experience.

After writing this, I can't believe it has taken me so long to see all the connections between traveling and Camp.  Especially the way I feel about both, desperately in love.  And the interesting/ironic thing is, Camp is the only thing holding me back from packing and heading into another international adventure right this moment. Maybe I should start working on that "two places at once" thing...

So with 6 days left in this month, take some time to appreciate the smaller experiences and moments that are created in every day life.  Like childhood, laughter, skipping, picnics, bedtime stories. Camp makes a difference.  And you should too, whether in your hometown or another.