Glimmers of Summer
It’s hard to believe we’ve had our last Opening Day of this summer here at Gwynn Valley. It seems like only yesterday we were welcoming our first session of campers in the heat of June, anticipating the arrival of baby animals on the farm, admiring the glimmering blue lightning bugs and awaiting huge stalks of corn growing up towards the sky. As we greet E session with warm compassion, the white hydrangeas start to dampen but our spirits at camp remain high and vibrant!
What seems to be the end of a summer on our calendar, is also the beginning of something new for others. This session, Hillside and Brookside consists of 2/3rds new campers who have entered the Valley for the first time. Heads turning every which way, oohing and ahhing at the new sights and smells camp beholds. Adjusting to the sound of the waterwheel at night, the bell that runs life at camp, and eating family style in the Dining Hall, to name a few. What I hope to be, the first of many summers for these campers at Gwynn Valley. Looking to SIT’s, counselors and program staff for guidance in the culture and camp life day by day, as they grow inside while romping around outside. This week holds a special place of wonder in these camper’s hearts.
For me, I look at E session as the culmination of the summer for some older campers. For our Mountainsiders, they’ve left for their highly anticipated event of the session; Adventures. Today they’ve left for the back country to either climb, paddle, bike or hike the beautiful terrain surrounding Gwynn Valley for three nights and four days. Riverside has departed for their final adventure backpacking along the Blue Ridge Parkway, challenging their personal and collaborative endurance. Soon but not yet, they will return from an all encompassing adventure having formed special bonds through trials and successes, connected with nature in their growth zone and achieved mental growth as conquerors of natural forces. The Young Leaders will wrap up their training in leadership sessions, assisting in program areas, put the final touches on advanced crafts and enjoy their last week as campers. As the Young Leaders grow in their time at camp, they end their time as campers and slowly begin to see the world of a GV staff member. Peering into the other side of how programs run, how to incorporate more technical skills into that area, and how to support the mental, physical and emotional growth that campers accomplish through their Discoveries.
As I reflect on the summer, it’s easy to measure the success in quantities; 9 piglets, 4 mountainside adventures, 9 riverside adventures, 210 opening night Big Cookies, 5 blind jellyfish (if you know you know), hundreds of tables set and countless ears of corn shucked. What is more rewarding and harder to quantify are the quality successes at camp; relationships, challenges and experiences had by hundreds of children at Gwynn Valley. Formative, experiential, education opportunities instilled by way of play, curiosity and bravery to try new and exciting things.
Deb Dana, a clinical social worker and author, coined the term “glimmer” to describe “those tiny, insignificant moments when you feel a sense of joy, peace and gratitude.” They are as simple as petting a baby goat, enjoying the view from the Rock with your cabin or admiring golden hour glistening upon After Supper Activities. Within our final week of camp, I encourage staff and campers alike to find the glimmers each day at camp. These impactful yet fleeting moments shape our system to be still and absorb the simple joys that camp life offers. These glimmers also stay with our nervous system. Whenever I need a moment of fulfillment or a reminder of warmer days, I like to return to these mental snapshots of joy, reminiscing on these precious moments of childlike wonder that I feel grateful to witness on beautiful, bountiful land.
