The Sari Diaries- Wednesday 7/12/17

Dearest Chippies,

I know it’s not Thursday, but here I am! Soph Aloaf back in action after a two-week hiatus. It dawned on me recently that some of you must read this and find yourselves thinking, why is Sophie still at camp? She’s 24—doesn’t she have better things to do? If that’s you, it’s totally okay. I’m not mad at all. To be honest, I occasionally find myself thinking the same thing. But then days like today come along and engulf me in an overwhelming reminder of exactly why I choose to spend my summers here. I mean… come on. This place is pure magic. How can you not want to be somewhere where four-weekers cheer and literally jump for joy when told they can ski for an extra time? After lunch today, two 9-year olds explained to me their care plan for their injured stuffed octopus, Squiddly, who had fallen on the trampoline and injured his tentacle. They took him to the Health Center to get band aids and ice, and brought him around with them all afternoon to “provide necessary supervision since they no longer trusted him to keep himself safe” (…Yes, they actually said this. Their words, not mine.). I watched kids jump in puddles after it rained to see who could make the biggest splash. I watched Blackfoot campers laugh so hard they spit their water out at BBQ. Other campers dressed in all black and raided canteen, staying so impressively quiet you’d have thought their lives depended on it. No phones, no TV. Just good old-fashioned fun. How lucky am I?

And then one of my all-time favorite examples of kids just being kids—lip sync. Tonight’s was Tan and White edition, so campers got up on stage and performed with their respective teammates of all ages. I love seeing them up there all together—the littlest ones unsure of the moves they learned just minutes ago, very intensely focusing as they try to remember the words to a song they’ve never heard, all in an effort to make their team proud. And the older ones radiating in genuine pride and happiness, so evidently taking their responsibility as leaders to heart and performing their little tutus out. There is something about the feeling of being up on that stage that brings out the purest carefree part of you. I’ve felt it myself, and tonight it was so clear from my seat in the audience that I actually felt overwhelmed by how happy it made me.

Camp is about kids just being kids, right? Well if today was anything, it was a day full of kids doing just that.

So to answer your question, no. I actually don’t have better things to do. At least for the time being, this is exactly where I want to be

And that, folks, is that. All in all, it was quite a day here at CRC. Thank you for reading, and I look forward to seeing some of you this weekend!

Sincerely,
Soph Aloaf