Laughter Returns

One of the most exciting aspects of camp is the return of laughter. Silly laughter. Belly laughter. Laughter in the mud. Laughter in the rain. Giggles in the dining hall and at evening programs. Laughs on the waterfront and in the Nart room. Smiles during singing. Laughter at anything and everything, especially stuff that doesn't make sense or even stuff that makes sense. Just give us a reason to laugh at camp and we're there!

The staff gets into laughter. Campers jump in and even the dogs become entertaining. My puppy Lily has grown to a 6 month dog and is quite a character, playing tug of war with the lifeline on the waterfront, running away with life preservers, and carrying around sneakers and socks. She's a regular clown.

Camp is a great release. We get to do things here that are spontaneous, creative, and totally outrageous. It swallows us up and gives us permission to let the little kid inside us play. I of course love playing after being so responsible all year. Between school and horses and camp business and photography, I'm spread thin. Camp means I need to let go of the responsibility and just enjoy. I actually discover it's difficult to make that transition!!

I sometimes notice us crying when we laugh so much, especially us adults. It's as if we realize that we haven't laughed enough and there's momentary grief about that. But after we immerse ourselves in the laughter for a while, then we thrive on it and our perspectives about life in general become genuinely upbeat.

Just look at Tarrah and Jaime standing in a mud puddle. Where in our busy college-work-city life do we have an opportunity to do that? These are the girls on opening day. Long story. That's another blog post. Give me time. I'll get to it.

The other wonderful side benefit of laughter is how staff and campers care for each other. There's an open gratitude for the laugh connections we make, and spontaneous hugs happen that are real and heartfelt.

Memories are made. Sometimes deep discussions evolve. Other times, feelings sneak in that surprise us and we realize that sharing our weak moments make us strong together.

A lot of this laughter and talking and spontaneity is what Sprucelands is all about. Yes. We do horses until our heart is content, but the people connection is another of the reasons why we are here. Sprucelands becomes a summer experience. It is so much more than just camp.