Today started off like most other days this season. Warren played reveille at 7:45 AM sharp. The intrepid Dippies bolted out of their bunks and charged full-steam down the hill to the lake for their morning dip. Warrior campers assembled around the flagpole outside the dining hall and stood silently while the flag was raised. Coaches scurried around the quads to gather boys who were scheduled to play in inter-camp hockey and lacrosse. The Junior Greys popped out of bed and finished their bunk cleanup before first call because they were eagerly anticipating their Little Trip– a fun day at Old Orchard Beach plus an amusement park. Senior campers had play rehearsal in preparation for their big show, West Side Story, which will take place Sunday evening. Visiting baseball coach Jordan Baltimore, owner of the Empire Baseball Program in New York City, spent his final day with us running baseball clinics for all age groups.
It was a day like most others until one of my veteran campers came in to talk with me about an issue that was causing him stress. He told me he was incredibly homesick– not because he didn’t love camp, his bunkmates, his counselors, and the activities– but because he was already anticipating visiting day, and he knew he would be upset when his parents left at the end of the day. This was a common theme for this boy who has spent a number of years at Camp Takajo. I knew to anticipate this conversation with him because we’ve had similar ones in the past. I said to him, “Imagine waking up in the morning with a horrible rash all over your face. The fear that this rash might never go away could be paralyzing and overwhelming. But, if there was a cream to make the rash go away, it would be nothing more than a nuisance and easily managed over time.” I continued by saying, “If a year passed and the same rash reoccurred on your face, you would not be panic-stricken because you would know from experience there is a cure.”
Campers who have been to Camp Takajo and get anxious about visiting day understand the analogy of seeing that rash for the second time. They know the feeling will not last forever and that a healthy dose of friendship, activities, amazing trips, Olympics, and all the season-ending special events will cure all sadness. As the camper left my office, he understood that, like the hypothetical rash, his feelings of sadness will only be temporary and he’ll get past it in short order.
