loose change

a monday piece for the final week of june! feeling slightly unsettled about the imminence of july. i’m not necessarily ready to say goodbye to june. i’m hoping time slows a little during midsummer, which–according to the calendar–Officially began today!

the east coast continues to provide us with some real slap-in-the-face weather. we went from a sunny 98º to a stormy 66º in the span of 24 hours this weekend. today has been kind of balmy! we were very close to a Perfect Camp Day: a blue sky wake up, a steady wind on the lake and a nice vest-weather 70º. there’s more rain on the menu this evening.

it’s after taps now, the campers are settled in and summer is in full swing! camp is finally starting to feel like camp. i’m still getting used to it. my cabin sits above a cabin of three 12-year-olds. i can hear everything from up here–right now the whole place is shaking as if by an earthquake and their giggles and whispers are coming up through the hardwood floor. whispers is generous! it’s sweet but it’s also 920p and i feel badly for sarah, their counselor. i loved having campers, but having my own space now is soooooo maj!

it’s been raining for about four hours. it started just as i was beginning this piece, a little before we all walked into dinner. it’s easy to forget to be thankful for the rain, especially after three consecutive days of it. but i’m reading about heatwaves all over the world, new records set globally, oppressively hot weather in thousands of towns and cities including santa barbara. i feel like i should cherish the rain while we have it, and while it’s mild.

chorus started today. i chose the song angel from montgomery, hoping for a good turnout but expecting more counselors than campers, just out of solidarity. we had forty people show up–31 campers and 9 counselors! it’s the largest chorus i’ve ever sang with. we learned the whole song today within 30 minutes. they sound incredible. we’ve not even added the harmonies yet.

i’ve been walking down boulders every morning to dip on the diving dock with my gorgeous colleagues. it’s like starting my day off with a micro hike. every day i am more shocked that i’ve committed to it! kind of similar to how i feel about these monday pieces. every day i say you guys…i really didn’t think i would make it down here today. today saiorse said you say that every day!

we all agreed that we jump in the water as one person and we surface as another. it’s almost addicting. it’s like waking up twice. my favorite part is the walk back up to my cabin to put on cozy clothing for breakfast. i’ve got my own table in the dining hall so i’ve been dialing down my table topics and inundating campers with them while they eat. laura gave me a great one today: if you could host your own music festival, where in the country would it be and which five artists would be the lineup? (you can only have five)

being here feels like coming out of a shell i didn’t realize i was in. it feels like shedding skin. i forgot how it felt to feel like a part of something. i forgot what it felt like to feel good at something.

i got to see peppy last night, on my first night off. we sat in the car eating ice cream and updating each other on all of the months since last august. it’s crazy how much we’ve changed and remained the same in all of our time apart. i’m so thrilled for lucy to come see camp. we’re all growing up! i like growing up together, with people you love as your witness. such a lucky thing to do.

sam’s birthday present came in the mail today but i’m terrible at keeping surprises. i might just deliver it early.

it’s now 1013p and i’m sleepy! i’m pressing publish and going to bed thank you for reading i can’t believe this is my second camp log! i am hoping and thinking that they will get better and more cohesive every week okay love you xxo r