4 posts tagged “summer”

Wow... I finished my last exam today. Now all I have to do is finish up a few little things and pack my belongings, and I'm done with my second year in college. It's very possible that my undergraduate career is half over (of course, it's equally possible that I might become a fifth-year senior; it's pretty common nowadays). Either way, I simply can't understand how time has passed by so quickly.

At the same time, I don't think time has passed so quickly at all. It's weird how two years can see fast and slow at the same time. I think people really over-emphasize the speed at which life passes. Sure, I remember my first day of college like it was yesterday. That, however, was a landmark event in my life, so it's natural it would be etched into my memory a bit more. The same goes with any landmark event, really. I remember lots of things like they just happened.

When I think back on these past two years, and I mean really think about them, they honestly don't seem that fast at all. So much has happened, only a fraction of which has been chronicled in this blog (or in my own handwritten journal, for that matter). It actually kind of amazes me how much stuff has been crammed into these two years. I have learned so much, met so many people, and grown so much that I don't really feel like the same person that I was two years ago.

I've often heard people use the cliche expression "appreciate your time" when talking to me (or people my age) about college. It's a true enough expression, yet at the same time I don't feel that I could do anything other than appreciate my time. I'm here, and this is what's happening, and I have no choice but to appreciate it by simply living. Maybe some people live without appreciating their situation, but for me, it almost comes naturally.

Maybe what they mean is to spend time doing things that you won't regret. I can certainly understand that, but regrets are a tricky business. There are probably many situations that were not good for me over the past two years, yet at the same time they have all helped me grow into the person that I am today, and I like that person a lot. Even though my college experience so far hasn't been completely perfect (nothing ever is), I still am glad for it.

Anyway, all of this is basically just to say that I have been in college for two years. Wow. I have also been maintaining this blog for about that same amount of time as well, and am equally grateful and appreciative for all of you people who (for one reason or another) have been reading. Thank you for everything. I'll be going back home soon, which means I'll be back on a dial-up connection. I still will try to blog, though, and I hope you all have a great summer!

So, five weeks at camp and it is finally my week off. I'll admit that I thought I would be blogging a bit more during these past weeks, and to be honest, I did have the time. However, I found that during the free time I had, the only thing I wanted to do was sleep, and so that's what I did.

Even if I did have time to blog, I'm not sure what I would be blogging about. I am so far removed from everything at camp, and believe it or not I really like it that way. All the "issues" that usually keep me busy are miles away. When I do have a chance to go online, I'm catching up on e-mails with friends, and I haven't turned on a television in five weeks. So, I'm a little behind on what's been going on.

For instance, that whole "Live Earth" concert thing that went on yesterday: I had no idea that was happening, though I assume there was probably just as big a hullabaloo about it as there was for "Live 8" a few years ago. The only difference, I suppose, was that I cared about and was really excited for "Live 8," but I didn't really care about missing "Live Earth" at all. After all, who needs a concert to be concerned about the state of our planet's fragile climate?

Actually, I'm removed from a lot more at camp. Every waking moment is about the kids there, and there is so little time for myself. I suppose it's exhausting, but at the same time it's freeing. All those identities and labels that people hold close to their lives don't matter at all there: liberal, conservative, gay, straight, Southern, Northern, small-town, big-town, etc. After all, the kids don't care about my opinions on controversial, divisive issues. They don't care what I think about what's going on in the Middle East or who should be the next president. They just want me to help them have a good time, and that's really all I want, too.

The only identity that has been of any use at camp is that of a follower of Christ (I won't even use the term Christian because that identity has a lot of unnecessary baggage with it, too). Perhaps that's the way it should be, because it is the only identity and label that matters. That's not to say that having other identities is a bad thing. I'm still a conservative gay small-town Southern boy, but who cares? When I'm sailing with my campers, teaching them to kayak, or leading them in a worship service, those things don't matter at all. Christ matters, and I'm so thankful that I've had this opportunity to just get away and focus on Him.

It's funny, really. I feel closer to Christ even though I haven't been doing any extensive reading in my Bible or any theological pondering. I've just been working with children. That's why I love working with kids. The constant giving of yourself that is required is something that helps put you in closer contact with Christ's person. By no means is it a perfect method. There are times when I don't feel like giving so much and I just want to give up. However, I find when I'm exhausted at the end of the day, but can still remember all the joy that I had the chance to witness, then I can feel God next to me stronger than I've ever felt Him before. I hope you all can have similar experiences.

So, my summer's going pretty well. Tonight is my first night off as a counselor and I am more than grateful for it. Working with kids 24/7 is fun, but it is extremely exhausting. Also, it's nice to have time to take a shower that lasts for more than two minutes, and to be able to drive away from camp and reach civilization (known as Wal-Mart).

Staff training was cool, mainly because it was such a learning experience. I had never done half of the things that I found would be required of me over the summer (like, you know, camping). But one week and a million bug bites later, I felt pretty confident about my chances of survival. All I needed to do was throw kids into the mix.

And now that I've gone about one week with kids, I can say that though staff training prepared me for camping, planning activities, and stuff like that, it really couldn't prepare me for dealing with kids. I think going to college to learn to be a teacher is very similar. It's not that there was nothing useful mentioned, it's just that once you're in the thick of things, a lot of what you've been told goes right out the window and you have to figure out what works (and, more importantly, what doesn't work) for yourself.

I've also learned a lot of lessons about life over this week. I've been working with a group of leukemia and hemophilia patients, and it's just been really inspiring. It's a good reminder of what real struggle is, and what real hope is. I mean, it really baffles me how a kid who has gone through chemotherapy is still afraid to go off the rope swing at the pond, but at the same time I think it's awesome. It's just cool to see that these kids who have gone through more than me (and probably many of you) are still regular kids. It's been an awesome week, despite the fact that I've yet to have a comfortable night sleep, my digital camera went missing, and my cell phone got wet and is officially as broke as I am. :)

Hope you're all having a great summer!

Hey everyone. I know it took me a long time to get around to posting this month, but that's because I really just haven't had anything of note to post about. A lot of things have been going on, I guess, but none of them seem "worthy" of the blog. I guess I'm just not one of those people who can post about what I had for breakfast this morning or what song is currently playing on my (imaginary) iPod.

Easter Break was a good time. I saw some friends and family, but nothing spectacular happened. I suppose I cherished it a bit more than usual. I found out at the start of the break that a girl on my floor was killed in a car accident on her way home. She wasn't a close friend of mine, but the news was still shocking and it made me cherish my time with my loved ones much more than usual. Like I said, I didn't know her well, but she did have a wonderful sense of humor and could brighten up any room. Please pray for her family and friends in this time.

In other news, I realized today that I only have four more weeks left in college this year. Can you believe it? Time has flown by so fast, I really don't know what to do with myself. My parents and others say that it's only going to go faster, and that makes me more than a little nervous. I mean, I remember distinctly the night I created this blog. I remember moving in to the dorm, and meeting all the people who are now my best friends. It's been one heck of a year, and I just don't want it to be over. Then again, I do really want it to be over, because I don't want to stay here. I guess you could say that I've moved on from Freshman year: the dorm, the parties, the classes. But on the other hand, I'm nervous about what the future has in store for me.

Well, at the very least I have something to look forward to this summer. It looks like my plans to be a camp counselor at a local Christian camp are actually happening. It's not definite yet, but if it is, I'll be spending 50+ days this summer leading a group of kids in all sorts of outdoor adventure activities. Since I've gotten no indication that it won't happen (and my phone interview went extremely well), then I'm going to go ahead and get super-excited ahead of time. Actually, some could say I'm downright giddy about it. :)

Oh well, that's what's going on around here. I'm in the home stretch of this school year, and all I can say is that it's been a ride. Hopefully there will be a few pleasant events before it's over though. Here's to a blessed four weeks!