The Sari Diaries - Thursday 7/25/19

Dearest Chippies,

I write to you this evening in the wake of one of the most all-around eventful days we have yet to see at #TheRanch2019. There is so much to write about, I won’t waste any time. So, here it goes…

Realm picked up this morning right where it left off last night—in terms of gameplay, yes, but also with regard to determination, enthusiasm and spirit. Chippendel was busier than Minocqua on Town Day, and both Tans and Whites worked hard to create antidotes, protect their castles and help their respective economies thrive. As Katie described in last night’s post, there was no shortage of commitment, effort or teamwork. Campers young and old did their part, and although the Tans were victorious, both teams should be incredibly proud of their hard work.

Following this morning’s culmination of everyone’s favorite Tan and White game, we moved on to everyone’s other favorite camp activity—all-camp Cathy’s! There really is only one way to celebrate Realm… and everyone can agree that is with ice cream. While waiting for their cabin to get called, I happened upon a conversation between Ally C, Izzy S, Ava G and Alexis T outside of the Ice Cube. They were discussing the many reasons why they love Chippewa, including the people, the view from the Jenny bench, and the way you feel when you’re here. We struggled to find the right words to explain it, yet we all knew what each other meant. In the end, we agreed that part of the magic of Chippewa is that you have to experience it to fully understand it. Sorry to those of you who can’t understand this… you’ll just have to take our word on it.

We ended the day as amazingly as it started—with an advocacy-themed campfire written by Halle G. Anyone around the Fire Circle tonight would agree that Halle’s words—as brought to life by those who read them—represented beautifully the many ways that advocacy impacts and elevates our camp experience, and how that in turn elevates who we are as people both in and out of camp. We talk often here about how age doesn’t matter; about how friendships transcend traditional age boundaries, bending instead to character and values. The friendships formed during Realm certainly attest to this, but tonight’s campfire is another, different display of the irrelevance of age at CRC. Emily Connell and Alex G gave incredible sermonettes, and many more campers and staff got up during the keylog ceremony to advocate for causes and people that matter to them—many of whom happened to be sitting around the Center Fire Circle. These testaments to friendship, wisdom, kindness and strength were not limited by age; in fact, some of tonight’s greatest demonstrations of advocacy came from the youngest people. So as our campfires often do, tonight illustrated that camp is an equalizer. What matters most here is not how old you are or where you live; it doesn’t matter what you have, but rather what you have to offer others. From where I sat, it is evident the understanding that the right road is not always the easy road. Those who spoke reminded us of the connection between input and output; between effort and payoff. It takes courage to stand up for what you believe in, and a great deal of courage was displayed tonight. I was proud to sit around that campfire, as I am proud to be a part of a community that recognizes the importance of recognizing others.

Long story short, I am going to bed feeling very lucky.

Thanks so much for reading. See ya next week!

Sincerely,
Soph Aloaf