One Giant Step for Earlene

As anyone can tell who’s has been waiting for me to add to my blog, writing has become a secondary activity recently. I needed something else to get me up in the morning and through my day. My interest in flower essences has not waned. Yet, worry about my situation and of course my future was overwhelming me. So when the opportunity came to work as the Laundry Lady at Camp WinnaRainbow, I took the job voluntarily.

Not only did I get up in the morning, I started walking and using muscles which didn’t remember the last time they’d been used.

To me the main benefit has been I’ve gotten out of my rut. Set-up for camp was hard but the main reward was being served breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Especially so since I hadn’t eaten three meals a day in over nine months. My body packed it in til I realized my size 14 clothes were too tight and wouldn’t stretch another millimeter. I was able to participate in some of the classes during Experimental Adult Camp and thoroughly enjoyed the production numbers in the evenings.

Life got full, too full, if that’s possible. Along the way I found someone willing to weed-eat my yard for $10/hour, and a huge weight was lifted from my shoulders to have the house more fire defensible.

Now ‘we’ (I feel like staff although just as an ancillary one) we have 150 campers and 80 staff members with seven administrators. Seems like a lot but it keeps the ratio of two campers to one teen staff or adult staff. The organization and caring at this camp is astounding. I'm not seeing any camper fall through the cracks, whether he or she is homesick, befuddled, excited about stilt walking, or tired.

So now I’m looking forward to my first day off. I’m ready to start putting my camping gear together for my treck this summer. Best thing I ever did was volunteer to step out of my routine and step in to a different life. I recommend the action wholeheartedly.