Crex Summer 2012 = Complete

It's the end of Crex Summer 2012 - what a summer! It flew by so fast! Tons of wildlife were seen, new people were met, new projects were completed, birds were banded, trails were cleared, surfaces were painted - it all blends together but also does not. It was an intense summer, same as last year - and I learned a ton about myself.

Right now, I'm on the South Shore of Lake Superior. It's a wonderful lake. They're tearing down the Ore Dock - slowly and piece by piece. I sat by the water the other day and just listened to the waves hitting the rocks along the shore. And breathed in that familiar Lake Superior smell (if there is a distinct smell that defines it as Lake Superior).

In a few days, I'll be headed down to Eau Claire to visit my friend and then will be headed home. I'm excited to go home, and at the same time I'm not. But I think it'll be good for me to get refreshed. It'll also be good to see family.

Crex Meadows: The Kickstart to Life

I cannot tell you how fast this summer has gone by. It's already towards the end of the summer season for camp, our current session just left earlier today. We have two weeks left of camp and then we're done. It's incredible. But not as incredible as this past session.

This past session was probably the hardest and most stressful session I have ever dealt with. Full of oranges. I'm a blue, but do have some orange in me -- but not THAT much. However, even though we had some really tough times -- motivating kids, keeping them on task, having them stop talking so that they can hear others talk -- this session was a good one. To see the changes from each individual and from the whole group itself, I could see there was more comradery towards each other and a connectedness for the entire group.

Our last night of the session involved us writing down an idea/thought/lesson that we learned at camp and will take with us when we get back into the "real" world. There were so many heartfelt ones that made me think WOW. This is camp. This is why we are all here. This is what keeps us. This is not just only the counselors effort, but the campers as well.

This is the kickstart to life. Just being at Crex. And it is definitely incredible.

Bang Biscuit!

So this weekend was the end of the first session of camp, and the beginning of the next. A lot has happened within the past two weeks -- it feels like it's been a month. Lots of good stories and laughter and quotes have been memorable as well. We caught a black bear in our bear trap (a big one), saw an American badger with a snake in it's mouth while going on a tour of Crex, and just interpreted lots of information on trail. It was definitely an intense session though.

The kids were great. Most of them had been here before, so it was really great so hear what they'd been up to and what their plans were for the future. Hansen (one of the most well-known campers in the history of Crex Meadows according to us) recently graduated from high school and probably will not be coming back to camp, so that was definitely a downer. He's definitely a beast, and a champ. We all love him. And the other campers too.

We'll miss all of the campers that graduated this past year. I have hope that they'll do something good and that they'll succeed. Whatever path in life they choose, they'll have the opportunity to experience and change in ways they didn't know they could.

 That's what camp is about. It's about the experience.

                   

Made it!

So, as you can probably tell I did make it to Wisconsin (YAY!). I enjoyed staying in Ashland and seeing several friends -- catching up and whatnot. Although it did rain pretty much the entire time I was there (Bay City Creek was pretty ridiculous), I was able to go for a hike out to Houghton Falls in the Washburn area. There are beautiful rocks there. The hike was not too long -- Scott, Jeff, and I spent a lot of time just looking at things and exploring. We were having an adventure. None of us had been there before, although Scott did say that he might have. But we won't count that.

At the end of the hike, there was the one and only Lake Superior. It was really gorgeous. Not very brown on this side of Chequamegon bay -- near Ashland it was brown due to all the sediments flowing from runoff into the lake. I felt very much at peace, just staring into the water and listening to the waves bounce off the rocks. It was all very mesmerizing.

I left last week and made my way to Eau Claire, to visit a friend and spend some time with her. We got a few things done involving preparations for her wedding come October. What I love most is the time we spent talking. I love how I can ask her any question, and she'll answer -- unless of course I put her on the spot and actually make her THINK lol. I've spent pretty much this entire week hanging out with her and her fiance, and I know that I'm going to miss it. She keeps trying to convince me to find a job in the Eau Claire area. I keep telling her that "we will see." Eau Claire does seem nice, so I will consider it :)

Spending some time with friends and just seeing what they're up to kinda makes me want to get my own place. Of course, I will be spending the summer at camp (which I have just arrived!), but I'm hoping that sometime soon after.

I do know that once camp starts, I'll be completely busy and won't be thinking about that. At least, not for a while. I know that some of the campers from last year graduated from high school (thanks to fb), and I'm very excited for them! I feel proud, kinda like a mom. But I'm more excited to hear them tell me. To see their excitement. And for them to make their own paths in life.

GRADUMATATION

To All the Northland Graduates of 2012:

Congratulations! This is a happy time of year for you all as well as a sad time of year. Very nerve-wracking, but also very exciting. Tons of emotions. Whatever you all do with your lives, I hope that it involves adventure, excitement, and lots of learning. We've learned a lot and have gone through a lot at Northland, and the world will show us even more. It will open our minds and hearts more. Northland was just the beginning, and the world is the next step. Make a difference in lives, and make the best of whatever you have wherever you are. You make your own path. Good luck, and I'll love and miss you all.

Transition time

So in the next couple weeks, life will be very busy. I will be having my last week at work this week and then hauling myself and my car around Lake Michigan to go to Wisconsin. It's a long drive, and I know it. I just made myself a CD to prepare for the drive (and just in case my ipod dies before I am able to charge it). Driving through the countryside you don't get many radio stations, so it's best to be prepared.

I'm really excited to be going on a road trip. Other than possibly my car dying on the way. Next weekend several of my friends will be graduating from Northland -- And I am really excited for all of them. It's just the start of the beginning of a whole new life. It's kinda like when we all left home to go to college.

It's the way life is. All about changes, both good and bad.

I am going to miss all the people that I've met here though. Today at work, I was thinking about how different it will be once I leave. I won't see those people for a while, or even at all in the future. I really like the conversations and topics that may or may not be true but are ridiculous either way. Those safety meetings we keep talking about. Those ridiculous answering machines or comments that people make on the phone. The quotes on life and the comments we make every time Rufus tells a story.

All those great ridiculous times. I will miss it. That's for sure. Hopefully I'll be able to get a picture from Rufus of when we all went bowling for the Big Brothers Big Sisters fundraiser.

That is, if he's there this week. 

To give, or not to give? That is the question.

You ever have those moments where you're just minding your own business, and a person comes up to you and asks for money? I'm sure everyone has had their fair share of experiences. How many times does that happen? Every week, day, hour? Out of all that, how many times do you actually give in -- give them that one or two dollars?

Most people (I believe) would say they don't do that. I'm sure there are a few that will say they do for the most part. I, on the other hand, am part of the group that looks away for the most part. I know that's bad, but I'm being completely honest. I'm sure you have done that before, if not multiple times - at least once. It's part of the norm. We tend to close or avert our eyes to avoid seeing what we don't want to see. But that doesn't make the issue go away. It's still there.

Pretending that it's not there or that it doesn't affect us happens in a lot of aspects of life. Whether it is an issue with a person, an issue with a group of people, or an issue with government. Lots of people would rather ignore than to do. But it does affect us in some way, and most definitely has a domino effect.

The reason that I bring up this issue is because a few weeks ago, I had a stranger ask for money. I was pumping gas into my car at a local gas station and a van drives up, semi-blocking two cars next to me that were also being filled up. A guy gets out of the van and tells his story.

Everyone has a story. His though, was explaining how someone he knows is in the hospital -- he's on his way to see her -- and he's literally running out of gas with no money on him. I mean, it's definitely one of the excuses I haven't heard. And it sounds legit. In today's world, especially in urban areas, a lot of families are struggling to make ends meet. Gas prices are going up, food is going up -- and still a lot of people are unemployed.

So while hearing this story, I glance at the expressions of the two guys pumping gas into their cars. Of course, the typical reaction is IGNORE. And you can see it spralled across their faces.

Then the guy adds in this -- that a woman in the car (and she was ligitimately there) had told him to AT LEAST TRY. And that's when I decided I would give him at least something. The way that he had said it made me think that he really didn't think anyone would help, but he was still trying to see if it was possible. Maybe I made that up in my head. I don't remember. It's not like it happened yesterday. I could've made that up for all I know. But it did sound like that.

So I went into my car and grabbed some cash (it was all that I had on me, a $5 bill) and told him to take it. He thanked me and went straight into the gas station. And I straight away booked it out of there.

Why? Why didn't I look back to see what he had actually spent the money on? I mean, I gave him money -- shouldn't I have at least looked to see if he was telling the truth?

To be honest, I did actually think about that. Very briefly. Like literally two seconds. And then a quote that most people have heard from Anne Frank popped into my head:

                  In spite of everything, I believe that people are really good at heart.

I didn't want to think about whether he was lying or telling the truth anymore. I eliminated the thought from my head. If he was lying, well then I helped him at least this one time get away with it -- and was a sucker for it. If he was telling the truth though, well then I helped him make it to the hospital and probably made him believe that sometimes it is worth it to try something that you think wouldn't work.

What would you have done?