Going Solo? Better Together

It’s better to have a partner than go it alone.

Share the work, share the wealth.

And if one falls down, the other helps,

But if there’s no one to help, tough!

If two sit together, they can keep warm.

But how can one keep warm alone?

Though one may be overpowered,

two can defend themselves.

A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.

~Ecclesiastes 4 9-12

I often use stories and act them out with campers. On Sunday night, welcoming them to camp I read this passage to introduce the theme. Before the gathering I would get some sticks from the surrounding woods and ask for volunteers to try to break 3 at a time using only their hands. Some weeks this illustration worked and some weeks it didn't. It depended on the kids and on the sticks, but I think that the point was made. Breaking one stick is often easy but 2 or 3 is harder (though not impossible).

Some weeks I brought up the movie Solo (Star Wars) as this was the inspiration for the theme and the fact that Han Solo often wanted to do things on his own but had much more success when he worked with others.

I am reminded of many of the children I babysit for and how they want to "Do it myself" even when it takes longer or is less successful without help. How we are all looking to be independent and feel that it might be weakness to need or ask for help. But to be reminded that we are made to be in community. That we need help just as others need help. That we both give and receive help in order to thrive. 

Camp is a place where we see that we need help and can ask for it. We are trying new things, challenging ourselves and campers. Maybe we can get to a place where we don't need help, but then there will be the next challenge.  Help and community, we can help each other up. We are stronger together!

Summertime

I was back to full time at Camp Grier for my fourth summer.  A summer full of fun and kids, outdoors and bugs.  I got to go down the Tuckaseegee many times. Out rock climbing in NC and KY. Hiking on the Blue Ridge Parkway and the Mountains to Sea Trail to vistas and waterfalls.

8 weeks of camp, 2 weeks of staff training. about 30 staff and maybe 600 campers. What fun!

The theme for this summer was Going Solo, Better Together.

the opening page of the journal put it this way:

We humans are independent creatures. We often want to do it all on our own. We get frustrated when we can't. This week we will look at some people who wanted to do it on their own, but could only do it with the help of others, and some people who were all alone and knew they needed help. We will try to recognize that together we are stronger and can do so much more.

Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much.

~Helen Keller