Crackling fire wood. Splashing into water. Laughter. Singing. Rain on top of the tent. Creaking cabin doors.

These are the things that I hear and take me back to the many summers I spent at Camp Glisson as a camper and counselor. Except this summer is different. I sit in a classroom learning instead of being on the dining hall porch waiting for lunch. As I sit here, I reflected on why camp is such a special place and realized everyone should take the opportunity and work at a summer camp.

It looks good on a resume!

This one should not be your main reason, but it really is true! When I put that on my resume that means I have leadership skills, I can multitask, keep track of many running children at once, handle conflict like a pro, and get along with just about anybody.

You meet the most amazing people.

You work alongside people who are willing to devote a summer to enriching children's lives. That's not an easy task. No one is there for the money, they are all doing it to be unashamedly themselves and love on some amazing kids. Speaking of...

Kids are the coolest!

I'm not kidding, most of my campers were cooler than me. But seriously, everyone comes from different backgrounds and has different life experiences. Some kids are weirdly good at puzzles, or can think of a game that entertains everyone for hours. They don't care that it's 8 a.m., as long as you are excited they absorb your energy and start the day off right.

You actually learn survival skills.

Yes fires, knife safety, and learning about snakes is important. You also learn how to survive the fourth day of rain that week, how to calm a camper down, how to convince them the water slide isn't scary, and basically parent like a pro.

You learn all the words to many songs.

(And proceed to lose your voice every week) I can't tell you how many times I sang Shut up and Dance with me, Riptide, and Free Falling but singing helps everyone keep engaged and makes boring things (like hiking) better for everyone.

You learn how to do the impossible.

"Mimi, I can't take one more step, we've been hiking for hours!" (We hadn't even made it from the ball field to the trail yet) Somehow, the words come to you and you convince them to keep going. You learn how to coax them off the top of the Alpine tower, because coming down is scarier than coming up. You learn how to make sure even the most homesick camper has fun and never wants to leave by Friday.

6 a.m. doesn't sound so bad.

After getting yourself (and your cabin mate :)) and 12 girls up and out the door at 6:45 for 10 weeks, mornings are no longer impossible. You realize it's so much easier when you are only responsible for getting yourself out the door.

THE SCENERY.

There's nothing like the sun coming up over the mountain, the moon reflecting on the water, the stars shining almost like they are just for you. You're surrounded by incredible people who keep you grounded and get to see Creation first hand.

#nofilter

Go work at a summer camp!