One Down, Six to Go!

So we have finished Camp Week One and this afternoon begin Week Two. One Down, Six To Go. Week One Highlights include,

The kid who threw up over three scout masters during the Sunday Night Campfire. Seriously, priceless.

The kid with (deep breath) autism, OCD and ADHD who had a severe phobia of bugs and wanted to sit in my clinic and eat chocolate because his therapist told him it made you feel like you were falling in love. I made the mistake of trying to show him that bug bites were no big deal. I pinched him, softly. He began to cry and announced he had sensitive skin. I confessed everything to his mother. She sheepishly admitted she had tried the same thing with the same results. Then another director also admitted he had tried it too. No wonder this kid is phobic. People keep pinching him! He made it through the week, though. His mom gave me a beautiful pot full of chocolate as a thank-you. How sweet!

The scout leader who was a medical student who thought everything was typhoid and leprosy. OK, not really, but seriously, it was funny how often he brought kids to me because he was so concerned. One of his kids though was a serious Home Sick Hypochondriac PITA! He wouldn't do what I told him to, his parents wouldn't come get him (not that I blame them) and he kept sneaking away from his camp site to come see me, he would over heat on the way and be vomiting by the time he got to me. On the last day I simply, firmly, not un-gently threw him out. Then I found said scout leader and pointed out that the kid needed a leash if he could not stay put.

Eight scout leaders signed up to take First Aid and CPR with me. Then they changed their mind because they said we changed the schedule (we did not) and that the class was too long, and that they didn't know anyway. So I ate the $40 for their cards. Oh well.

We got 100 on our inspection. This is a great thing.

Nana announced to me on Saturday that she might love the dogs more than me because she sees them more. Then she changed her mind back and and forth three times before deciding she loved me best.

I spent a very peaceful and delightful Saturday evening with three very sweet men, trying desperately to forget we had ever even heard of camp. I packed a pick-nick dinner and we went to some really pretty places to just chill out. It was nice. Good music too.

My therapist and I had a long talk about real feelings and the artificial and letting ourselves buy into the artificial because it feels good, even though it is not a good idea. Like a drug, really. I hate it by the way, when that man is that kind of right. I have some important realities and decisions to make about some things. I imagine I am strong enough to do what I have to do, and I know in the end it's what is best and what I will do, but it is still hard. It is so easy to passively accept something that feels good and safe, even though in the end it is not real. One way or another, though, this thing is finite and I will overcome it.

Actually I had several long talks with several delightful people this week. I've missed my guys and I am enjoying reconnecting. The knock on my door late at night, "Sandy, can we talk?" This is where I feel the most needed and wanted. They are all so serious, they take themselves so seriously. Some of them have very real issues in their lives. I'd like to just take some of them into my arms and lovingly smother away all the hurts. Some of them want so desperately to be someone or something they are not rather than being happy with the wonderful things they are. Why guys feel the need to be bad-a**'s is beyond me, and I don't know who they think they are fooling... Not me anyway. I know the sweet, good young they are. It's hard not to laugh out loud at them about it. But then, they come to me to talk and all of that falls away.

It's been a long week, and I am a bit tired, but it's been a good one and I'm ready for the next wave.-