It was another bright, sunny day at Camp Takajo. While the forecast called for severe thunderstorms in the afternoon and lingering through the early evening, it never happened. In my next life, I want to come back as a weatherman and get paid for delivering 50% of the time.
Our program is in full swing in all three age divisions. While this is exciting for our boys, who will now experience the full depth of our program, it’s actually even more important because it allows us to have structure and routine that help create purpose and motivation. I always marvel at watching how quickly our youngest campers adapt to camp. Our little guys navigate through this camp, running from skills to sports to swimming to hobbies like they’ve been here forever. That routine and sense of familiarity create comfort and happiness for our boys.
Interestingly, it’s been more challenging for some of our Junior and Senior campers, who expected to jump off the bus and start league competitions. Due to COVID-19 protocols, we took a more cautious approach to keep our boys together by bunks rather than creating teams by age groups. This result created a slower start to the camp season. The trade-off is that our boys had the opportunity to reconnect with their friends, who they missed dearly, and enjoy some spontaneous play rather than the structure of team games. Nevertheless, every field was occupied this morning, and all of our boys could enjoy the ability to let loose and play.
As the sun set over Long Lake and our boys retired for the evening, there was a renewed enthusiasm for what tomorrow will bring.
