After a fast-paced first week marked by a shift from hot, humid weather to cool, breezy days and filled with late nights watching Game 7 of the NBA Finals and the NBA Draft, our opening campfires, sports, and waterfront fun, our boys had certainly earned their first Lazy Man’s Morning.
Reveille blew a half hour later than usual and our boys wandered down to the dining hall in their PJs, where they were greeted by a variety of their favorite Dunkin’ Donuts. It’s always enjoyable to see how groups of boys of all ages will sit together and exchange laughs in this relaxed environment.
When I entered the dining room this morning, I noticed two boys sitting together. I learned that they’d met by happenstance on the second day of camp as they had both come to the porch of our dining hall at the same time, looking for me while they were missing home. Before I even made my way to the meal that evening, the older boy came to the realization that he needed to put his feelings aside to help the younger boy. He then mustered up the courage to take the younger boy for a walk around camp— a walk that led the two to grab a couple of rackets and start a game of padel tennis.
It’s little actions like these that can take a sad moment and convert it into a happy one, creating— for both boys, in this case— a sense of home and belonging.
This morning, when I went to greet the two boys as they were sitting together in the dining room, the little one proudly shared the story of how they’d met and that they’d made a commitment to meet each other every Sunday morning for a Dunkin’ Donuts breakfast.
Every day in camp, there are moments where boys are tested to step outside their comfort zones and think about others. Whether it’s a small gesture like meeting someone for breakfast or patting them on the back after dropping a fly ball, camp provides an opportunity for our boys to build character. It’s remarkable to think that this one snapshot in time at camp is a representation of so many of the ideals listed on our welcome arch: friendliness, courage, self-reliance, love, and magnanimity. In including these ideals at his welcome arch, how fortuitous Morty Goldman was in recognizing the true essence of the summer camp experience.
