Camp “Back to School”

I never went to an overnight summer camp when I was younger, the kind that lasted a week or two, but I always loved reading books and watching movies about them.  There were so many! Think Nancy Drew, the Berenstain Bears, or Disney’s “the Parent Trap.” Even “Dirty Dancing” was set in an idyllic camp setting, and though it was a family camp, not a kids camp, didn’t the lake and the activities look fun? (And of course, there was Patrick Swayze. Enough said.)

It always seemed like the whole experience was an endless stream of carefully curated, delightful activities. I picture a camp counselor, clipboard in hand, whistle around her neck, waking up her campers and guiding them through  their days, shepherding them from one jolly experience to the next. Even when chore time arrived, nobody minded, because good work was part of camp, too.

I want to go to camp, friends.

But my son started school this week, and although it is still ridiculously hot out, school means the end of summer for us.

So after dropping him off one day, I drove home, plopped on the couch, and felt strangely aimless, like I knew there were things I wanted to do, that I should do, but without any motivation to actually do any of them.

Enter the idea for “Camp Back to School.”

What if I could think about my daily schedule, my never ending “to do” list, in a new way? What if I could set up a nurturing routine and treat myself with the care that a fictitious camp counsellor might show me?

All it would take was a little mind shift.

Here’s what my ideal camp day might look like:

5:30 am: Up at first light? Sure, it’s camp! There’s so much to do and experience. Who wants to waste time in bed?  Throw on your clothes, then do a few pushups and some gentle stretches. How about adding the “Energy Medicine” routine from Donna Eden (you can find her on YouTube) that you learned at the Mercy Center women’s spiritual spa retreat. And since it’s your ideal version of camp, spend the next hour in quiet, “waking up” kinds of activities, like journaling and centering prayer. The camp kitchen would be open, of course, for hot tea with cream, or iced tea, if you prefer.

7:00 am: Field trip. The camp shuttle runs down the hill to that venerable place of learning, your son’s school, where he eagerly heads to his new classes which include art, drama, biology, and environmental science. So much wisdom to be gained! You are grateful for the professionals who dedicate themselves to this good work, and happily return the shuttle  to home base again.

8:15 am:  Exercise time. Tale a jog, or a hike, or a walk around the cemetery loop. Bonus nature activity: be alert for butterflies, or the bright slant of light through a pine tree. Take photos and share one on Instagram. Surely someone else would enjoy hearing about your day at camp.

9:30 am: Nature time. Service time. Go outside and care for the birds. Make fresh hummingbird juice, fill the feeders, clean the birdbath.

10:00 am: Camp “school.” Counsellors direct campers to the learning activities of their choice. There are crafts to make, skills to practice.  For you, this might mean learning more about WordPress, or drafting a rough blog post, or diving into Scrivener and playing with  your book.  Some people would call this “work time,” but at camp, it’s not stressful like that. It’s just about expression and trying new things and learning something every day

Noon: Lunch. The kitchen is open. So many healthy options. Make a salad from the fixings in the refrigerator.  Or heat up leftovers from last night’s supper. Some days, you might use this time to do a little creative cooking, because it’s fun to try new dishes at camp. The results of your cooking experiments might make a dandy dinner.

1:00 pm:  Rest time! Book time! This is not optional. You are not allowed to dive back into work or exercise. You have to rest on your bunk with the fan on. You can nap or read. No phone scrolling!

(Because reading is one of the items on your daily “to do” list, at least 21 minutes a day for everyday of 2021. You haven’t achieved this, not even close, but it is definitely more likely to happen (and has been happening more frequently) since you made yourself take a break in the early afternoon each day. Because when you leave reading until the end of the day, when you are in bed? You barely make it to 10 minutes. Because you are tired. And pretty much fall asleep.)

The rest of the day unfolds in the same peaceful way. At 2:45 pm, the camp shuttle returns to school to pick up your son. Then there is time for sharing about the day, and maybe more nature time (like venturing out into the blackberries to do some trimming), more work time (homework anyone?), then dinner, kitchen duty, showering (because a clean camper is a happy camper), and finally a few minutes around the campfire, toasting marshmallows and making s’mores (also known as watching a few minutes of “America’s Got Talent” on the couch together, and eating popcorn or a little ice cream).

Somehow, thinking about life this way helped me this week. I took time out in the afternoon several days to read my book, something which I haven’t always done. It was easier when I thought about it as part of my camp schedule, like I didn’t have a choice but to rest a bit and read, because my good counsellor told me it was what I had to do.

Of course, every day can’t be a camp day. I have massage appointments to do and sometimes have to drive down to Costco, no matter how much I try to avoid it. Because the birds run out of seed. And all the vitamins are gone.  And the tires need to be rotated. Also, not all camp days are the same. Some days, there are visitors, or activities that don’t fit into the normal schedule. I like the idea, though, of reframing my day this way, of making an itinerary that includes time for work and exercise, but also reading and rest.

“Camp Back to School” is open; so far, I am a happy participant.