(Some of ) The boys of summer (camp)

At the specific and excited request of a dear friend of mine I am going to bore you with a description/explanation of some of my boys. These are not anywhere near complete pictures and are as much based on my perceptions and observations than concrete evidence, but are accurate none the less.

Click. This dear lad is 19, 20 in less than a month. One of my favorites, I have worked with him for three of my four years. He is very old for his age, but also very joyful and very, very smart. When I met him he was starting his senior year in high school. Taking a full AP load as well as dance and drama he achieved over a 3.5. He is now studying bio-engineering at one of the best science colleges in the south (if not the nation). This is the first summer he hasn't had a girl friend, in the past he was always completely devoted to the one he was with until she showed some substantial moral flaw and then he quickly distances them. Drinking in excess seems to be his major pet peeve in women and also inability to be themselves. This summer he is a commissioner at camp. Sort of the second in command (or in this case co-second as he has a counterpart I'll introduce in a minute). There are few I trust like Click. He was the one who truly made me feel camp was home. One time during an awful storm when we were taking all the campers to the dining hall, I got in last. He met me at the door and hugged me so hard I squeaked. "What's wrong?" I asked. "Nothing now that you are here and I know you are safe." He answered then he simply walked away off to do other things. No big deal. It was a golden moment for me as I now knew I mattered at camp. He is also a real joy to watch up here. He is great with the kids, fair with the staff and a very hard worker. Sometimes to his detriment, but in the end he works it out.

Windy. The is Click's partner at camp so to speak. Wiry and dark (Click's opposite) he seems very quiet but is very observant. He has a much taller, much deeper voiced brother we call Gusty (both of them are using nicknames by the way) and he clearly adores him. I think that is really nice to see at camp. Brothers, both Eagle Scouts, I might add, who love working together. Windy can be very sharp too, often when you least expect it. I expect he will go far here at camp.

Mike and Jason. These are another set of Eagle brothers. One runs the kitchen the other the nature lodge. They are French Irish with thick curly hair and light eyes. Most of the girls their age swoon over their curls and deep rumbly voices. They are both very strong Catholics and while they have very much college boy humors are very respectful of women in a way that warms my heart and gives me hope for the future. They are some of the only staffers that have seen me cry, and I trust them with that. They also are always there when someone is needed in emergencies. Totally dependable.

Poje. Here is a work in progress, but someone I think I will be proud to have watched grow up. Only 16 he has a lot of responsibility. He runs rapids on kayaks with 10 scouts each week. Our youngest Kayak instructor to date. He is really trying to figure out what he believes and why. He often comes up later in the evening when it is quiet at medlodge, just to talk. Religion, girls, families, politics, future all of it. While many of my boys come talk to me about these things, I'm enjoying him the most this year as he is youngest and still testing his own beliefs. Last year on staff night off he forgot his parents were coming up to visit and left for the night. So they and I had a nice talk in my office for about an hour. Then next week they sent me cookies. What great people. He of course was mortified. I hear most of the childhood stories on my boys as their mothers often call to talk to me through out the summer. His mom is no different and she too sees the potential in her son and is excited to see who he will be

As a side note, that is probably the thing I enjoy most about camp. These staff boys and the relationships I have with them. I am too old to be a sexual threat/issue to them and too young to be a parent (the enemy). They often confide in me things no one else knows (or may ever know) and I am honored to have their trust. They give me hope for the future and they teach me so much about myself even and how we become the people that we are.

Danny and Eddie are best friends and there are no two more exuberant boys on staff. Often viewed as the future of camp these two bounce into my clinic each day to say good morning and bounce through it frequently to check on what's going on. If I come across them outside of camp they are always quick to come over, hug me and chatter on about their lives. This is odd. Most boys (and I understand and am okay with that) avoid me and each other outside of camp unless it is to talk about camp. Not so Danny and Eddie. They are all weather friends of the true kind.

Then of course there is Mark. The dining hall director who is old enough to be my father. He is such an amazing friend. We are close all year round. However we will never date or marry, much to Nana's disappointment.

These are just a few of those I think of when I speak of "my boys" They are among the most special people I have ever met. I look forward to watching the world meet them.

The world may not know what hit it.