The Camp Life

If I Die Tonight

2012-02-27T17:34:00.000-06:00

The title of this blog is a little depressing and it is by no means meaning that I want to die in any way shape or form.

If you haven't been up to date with my life lately that is probably because my mother didn't text you about it. No offense mom. I live a pretty private life but this was a life altering event and something that changed my view on life. It really made me look at how I am living. Why do you ask?

Well, I had my appendix burst 2 1/2 weeks ago. I don't know if that sounds like a huge deal to you or not but it is something that can lead to death if goes untreated especially the older you get (I am pretty old to have my appendix burst). I haven't been told if I was close to death or not (sure felt like before and after) and I don't know if I really want to know. I had surgery and have struggled with my recovery since. I can barely walk 100 yards, breathing can be difficult and I have had high fevers on and off for the last two weeks.

When I was young my Grandfather on my mom's side died when I was four or five. All I remember is my parents telling me he was doing reasonably well. We went and visited. We weren't allowed to go inside but he got to the window at what seemed like the 7th or 8th floor (probably exaggerated in my childhood mind) and waved at my family while my brother and I clung to my parents by our car. That night he died in his sleep. He was an amazing man and I am forever haunted with the idea that I could be waving at the people I love one evening and be dead the next day.

In my recovery there has been times when I was laying in bed in my back with a 101 fever, pain in my abdomen, feeling as if this is what my Grandpa Carter felt like and wondering if I were to wake up in the morning. I didn't scream for my parents who were sleeping in my guest room across the house, I laid there and cried, thinking about how I am not done with my life and how I haven't been the difference I hoped to be. My mind would flash with all the people that I haven't said enough to or helped and the people I may have hurt over the years. Each individual would take a few minutes of my time as I could not fall asleep. I lay there powerless to do anything about it for some time and maybe not at all. I felt completely useless and depressed that I haven't lived up to my own standards in my life. If I died that night I would die a hypocrite.

As I heal I understand that I don't think I was really that close to death and was probably an over dramatized thought of man sick and injured. That doesn't change how those moments changed me though.

The next couple days I thought about what I would do if I knew I was going to die tomorrow. I have started to make a list of 10 things I could realistically accomplish in that time period. It isn't done so I kind of failed but I am going to go through with it and actually do the things on the list. Then I will make another list and do those. The things have to be positive and have to at least bring a smile to someones face. No negative actions from here on out unless it is absolutely the right thing to do.

To end my blog today I would like to tell you I have the best parents in the world. They are better then yours and deserve the highest praise. Since my surgery they have been there to take care of me. They have loved me back to a better condition. I am forever grateful to them and so blessed to have them in my life. Love both of you very much.

As always remember to live, laugh, Love and look up.

Ryne

Hitting the Emotional Bump

2012-01-16T17:18:00.000-06:00

Well, it has been awhile since I wrote and I am staying in the office a little later than usual today. So I decided to write something that is hopefully thought provoking and understandable.

-I have been on the new job for about a month now and I have hit a rut. Maybe it is me starting to miss my previous job and the comfortableness that came with it. Or maybe I just haven't got used to the leadership and difference in style that this camp is. Either way I am looking for ways to get myself motivated to do more than just the requirements in my job. It might be because I am finally getting into the meat of my job and it can almost be overwhelming at times. A certain project here and a different project there. Not to mention all the mailings. I am replacing a person who has done this for almost 10 years (and done it well for 10 years). In the end I must rely on that I got this job for a reason and yes, I am young but I love what I do and I love what I do it for. Recognizing the things that I need to get stronger in is probably my first priority. Organization and planning is probably my biggest need right now. I know it will get better once I hit the road more this spring with marketing. Right now though, I am finally hitting that transition stage where you miss the comfortableness of your previous job you know that you were successful at.

-Some short thoughts I have had lately:

Why in the world is it so hard to help others? I struggle with it as much as anyone. When the days wear on without helping anyone, it is harder for me to sleep at night. Finding an outlet for that will be important for me here.
The new Muppet's movie is still the best movie I have seen in awhile.
Some people are beyond blessed with capabilities in helping others. I am reading this book Mountains Beyond Mountains: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, A Man Who Would Cure the World by Tracy Kidder. The main character in the story is unbelievable in how much he does for other people. It makes me feel almost insignificant in what I do. I wish I had his mental abilities in order to change the world as much as he has.
Dogs are awesome.
We really are a wasteful culture. Think about how much you waste of everything (time, food, materials, etc...) everyday.

-Finally, I would like to end on something of really no importance. I was sick this past weekend and still sort of am. It gave me time to think about my life and really what stage I am at right now and if I am truly happy with what my life is. I realized that I am at a awkward stage. I am a 27 year old living in the middle of no where Kansas. My job is bringing smiles and character to children, which is possibly the greatest thing I could possibly achieve. But is it enough? Do I need to do more to be worthy of the title "Good Person"? I thought about that this weekend and in the end I decided I don't care if I would ever get that title or ever be viewed in that manner. I just want to be me and help people become them. Will I struggle at times? Yes, like I am now. Will there be times when my life is not a blessing onto others? Probably, but hopefully I can learn from those times and become a stronger human being. Letting that emotional bump hit me up instead of hitting me down. It is all about getting better day by day.

Remember to live, laugh, Love and look up.

Ryne

A New Job in a New Place

2011-12-20T16:55:00.000-06:00

I feel like starting a new job always has to feel awkward for at least three days. Well, maybe that is just me because that has happened to me in all three jobs I have had since college.

I arrived at Camp Wood YMCA on a Saturday morning. Moved in and then went to a board meeting lunch that same day. Surprisingly, I felt really comfortable with the people that were there. My parents were super emotional. They were so happy to have one of their sons close again. I believe my mother cried the whole time and my father couldn't stop smiling or shaking my new boss' hand.

The awkwardness came the first day in the office and the only reason why it was awkward is because I set it up that way in my head. The next two days I told myself it wasn't it awkward even though I felt like it. Slowly the awkwardness is moving away.

It is just different to move. You leave a core group of people that you know what their expectations are of you and you know what to expect of them. Going into a new situation here, it is a completely different culture. My executive director here is quiet and very deliberate in actions and words. I come from a place where my friend and supervisor was opinonated and had a lot of input. Both very good types of leadership but very different. It was kind of intimadating going into this new style because I was so used to the previous person.

To say the least now that the awkwardness is gone, I can say that I am extremely happy. Going to work has been getting better and better. I feel like I am doing pretty well too. I am excited for the New Year to role around so I can start meeting Camp Wood families and campers. It seems like an amazing place.

To be in Kansas again really fills up my heart. The great part about it is that I have friends around and that it is home. It is lucky that my life has been blessed for me to come back to the heartland.

My next blog I will try and post pictures of my house, which is amazing by the way. I have a guest room if you ever want to visit.

Remember to live, laugh, Love and Look up.

Ryne

Muppets and Saying Goodbye

2011-12-08T08:52:00.001-06:00

Yep, it is almost time for me to be moving back to the Heartland. I will get to that more later. But for right now I want to talk about something that is beyond special. I mean really special. And that is the Muppets. yeah, I said it. It is the only musicals that I have ever really enjoyed. The Muppets are just absolutely amazing. Not only are they funny by having a sort of innocence about them but they teach values that are being forgotten in our society. I have lost touch with my muppet side for a long time (just like the latest movie starts out with). I was almost beyond happy while watching their latest movie. Several times I was so happy I almost cried. The lessons that they teach children (and adults for that matter) are so amazing and are lost in a lot of the shows today. The lesson about tradition, family, friends over money is very obvious in the latest edition of these wonderful simple puppets. A lot of children who I have worked with in the summer camp world don't know that lesson and the importance of it. They don't hear it enough in such a emotional capturing manner that the Muppets do it in. I recommend that everyone go see the muppets. You will flash back to your childhood and all the innocent wonderful things that were part of your life then. When they sang the entrance to muppet show in the latest movie, I almost lost it. Beyond words.

Over the past 3 years (well almost), I have been blessed to work and be around amazing people. It is hard to put into words all that I have learned here at CFA. Today is my final day in Texas as a resident, which is weird to say because I have been an official Texas resident since 1993 (I spent 5 years in college in Kansas, but my drivers license always said Texas). Texas has been good even though I have always wanted to get out and back to Kansas. There was one place that kept me around longer than I expected and that was Camp Flaming Arrow. It has definitely grown on me to the point of where it will always grasp onto a certain part of my heart. I took this job when I was young and dumb as Bill Hinton likes to say, but now I don't feel young and dumb anymore and that is credit to the people that have surrounded me these past three years. They are all special and unique. They are not cookie cutter and that is what I appreciate most about everyone that I have met here. They are not about themselves, they are serving others because that is the most important thing in the world. Their future, as is mine, is untold whether or not it will be successful or not, but with the people here there is not doubt that they have a very good chance.

Saying goodbye is something that is on my list of things that I don't do very well. After previous summers as counselors I would just slip away without telling anyone goodbye. These past few days have been different for me because there has been a couple goodbye parties for me and I have actually said goodbye to some amazing people that have blessed my life. I do not believe that it has hit me that I will not be here anymore. My office and house are bare and that is the visual sign that I am leaving but my emotions and soul have not caught up to the physical part of my life yet. I think is because I am going back home. Where my heart has always longed for. Once it has arrived in that place, I feel like it will sit and reflect on my beautiful life that I had here in Texas.

This is a place where I found myself, had my heart broken, helped others grow, met and made amazing friends, bought my first dog, became a lifeguard, was introduced to the Y, sweated buckets and got a sweet tan at Camp Grady Spruce, started a career at Camp Flaming Arrow, and most of all it is where I learned to Love people no matter who they are. Yet, that last part will always be a work in progress as I move on to a different place.

I love you all. I will miss you Texas friends. You have amounted to something huge in my life and you will forever be in my heart and thoughts.

Until next time remember to live, laugh, Love and look up.

Ryne

Life is a Changin'

2011-11-29T16:31:00.001-06:00

Well, most of you have heard by now that I am leaving my job here at CFA and taking a position at Camp Wood YMCA in Kansas. It was a tough decision because I love CFA and all the people here but home is home. It also provides a new challenge and different opportunity for me. I will be the Senior Program Director up there and so I will be looking at the big picture of camp more rather then just the summer camp side most of the time. I am moving up next Friday and getting to camp hopefully Saturday morning.

I understand there will be great challenges ahead but I am truly excited about them. Something that I have learned about myself since I have been here at CFA is that I enjoy new things and taking on different tasks. I will not be overseeing summer camp staff directly anymore, but I will be mainly overseeing two staff that run the summer camp program and the retreat program. It will be completely different considering I will mainly be working with a smaller staff. I hope and pray that they will accept my leadership style and let me teach them something while they are teaching me. The best feeling in the world is when I get emails and letters from previous staff members about how much camp and I meant to them. It feels so good because they have meant so much to me.

The saddest day for me so far was to tell my staff that I was leaving. Each one of their faces has flashed through my mind several times. It has been taken a lot for me not to start crying at random times during the day. I just hope that I have done a job worthy enough to be remembered in those amazing people's lives.

The moving process is kind of hectic and unorganized. I really need to sit down one night and organize where I am at right now. A lot of cleaning and boxing left to be down. Later this week and most of next week will be me cleaning my office and my house. Not really something that I am good at but I am kind of looking forward to.

Life is good right now. Hoping that my journey will be an eventful one and a positive one.

Remember to live, laugh, Love and look up.

Ryne

The Doing of Right

2011-11-02T16:04:00.002-05:00

I believe there are good people and people are naturally taken away from being good because the path of least resistance is always (cliche time) taking the easy way out. Doing the right thing. It sounds so simple as if anyone could do it. It is just a 4 word sentence. Then why are people so good at not doing it.

I am a true believer in living a very simple life style. I live in the woods where there are no cars and seemingly more animals than people, which I am very thankful for. My favorite hobby only really requires me and possibly a pair of shoes. I like a carb, protein and veggie for meals, preferably all separated. Being simple is just very appealing to me, like sitting on a porch and listening to the night wake up or reading pages in a book. The thing is I have complicated thought processes everyday, just like everyone else in the world or I am at least assuming most people actually do think about their decisions (I understand that some do not).

Thought processes is what I believe get in the way. In the end your brain screams that the world is about you. Get yours and leave everyone else behind. Everyone falls into a some point, including myself. The reason why I live a simple lifestyle is because I realized not being around people made me less selfish. It made me love others (others have found this in their own way). I can't really explain why, but it happened. Do I still think about myself? Yeah, but in different terms. The time was there for me to look at what made me truly happy and that was to make others happy and try to lead them to choices that would make them better people. I do that in my life right now and it selfishly makes me happy, but in the process it is doing unselfish work towards others.

There is one thing that will be ingrained in my heart forever, living for others and serving others is the truest path to happiness and to the right thing. That is what is lost in society now (the cliche $ is all that seemingly matters). Both sides of government is screaming foul at the other instead of taking a long look at themselves and what they really are (neither side is helping and both sides have to much self interest/ego in decision making). Millionaires and billionaires talk about it is unfair that one side gets more of a billion dollar revenue share agreement (NBA lockout). Businesses look out for their own interest more than people's interest (no I am not occupying Wall Street, but I do understand the top 1% is not helping this country -- they are helping their pockets). A $10,000,000 wedding earns a profit of $18,000,000 and then the marriage ends in 72 days because of something that should have been discussed before they were married (I can't believe I just referenced this). Millions of people cry over one man dying (yes, I understand he changed the world and was brilliant), while millions die in the world every year with no one caring (This one was probably the silent tragedy of this year).

The reason why we struggle to do what is right is because we are too afraid to look at ourselves and realize who we truly are at that moment. Look at yourself, truly look. Are you asking what the world has given you or are you asking what you can give the world? When you start asking the second question then that is when you know...

Live, Laugh, Love and Look Up. Tomorrow will always come. What are you going to do with it?

Family and Camp Family

2011-09-27T16:48:00.000-05:00

In the past three weeks I have seen my family more than I have in several years. I spent time in Nashville and then I saw them again in Chicago visiting my grandparents and my dad's side of the family. It was an amazing experience just to spend time with them. I got to pick my niece up and twirl her around the room saying, "Do you want to fly?" Hearing her laugh would lift anyone's soul up and a smile would be almost a permanent fixture upon your face as long as she was in the room. The innocence of the young is beyond enlightening. They throw your soul back to when you wanted to be someone good, back to where your ancestors would look down on you and say, "You love unconditionally, you smile, you help others -- job well done." My family, I love them dearly and I miss them everyday that I am not around them.

While I was gone I had something else tugging at thoughts. It was my camp family. My summer was spent mentoring young adults to hopefully be positive role models. Deep down inside I am hoping they take those lessons and use them in their everyday lives. Deep down I want them to be better than me. Someday in the future whether it is in heaven or here on earth, I want to wrap my arms around them and say "Job well done." We would laugh together knowing that the world was a better place because of them.

In a world of selfishness and self indulgence, my camp family sacrificed a summer for children. Children who need real heroes and guidance to the right path. I miss my staff/camp family. Yes, they stressed me out and sometimes they made decisions that resulted in consequences that neither them or me liked. In the end their hearts are in the right place most of the time, sometimes their heads need a reminder of where their hearts are going. When I walk around camp on those quiet fall days and my soul is begging for the sight of a counselor helping a child.

I received an email from a counselor today and it was unexpected. He was beyond complimentary of me, but I still don't feel like I deserve it. They deserve all of it. They put in the day to day grind with the campers. I just awaken that selfless fire inside and let that flame engulf them. To me that is easy because I believe almost everyone in the world is good and it just takes a little push to get them going in the right direction. What counselors put themselves though in a summer is almost unbelievable. Yes, I did it in the past, but I don't think I could do it now. They are beyond heroes, they are Legends and their legacies will last forever in the minds and hearts of others.

To finish this family oriented blog, I have lost a significant member of my camp family recently. Polly Pierce left CFA to go take a job she deserves and desired in North Dakota. It leaves a gapping hole is my day, soul and heart. She is my camp sister forever. We are two very different people. I frustrated her and she frustrated me, but in the end we grew to become better people and that is what it is all about. I love her like family and she will always have a camp brother willing to help her in anything she needs. In honor of you Polly I saved you for last. Peace be with you on your legacy.

Live, Laugh, Love and Look Up.

In the Shadow of Summer

2011-08-31T17:32:00.000-05:00

I always find myself comparing summer camp to running a marathon and it really is besides the running for hours part. It seems to last forever while you are going through it and you are never the same after it ends. You are also exhausted and kind of mind melted afterwards. You find yourself lost if you aren't doing something when it is all over. This summer, the week after all the campers left I was beyond restless. I couldn't sleep well and I would find myself thinking it was time for me to something I thought was important for camp. My work efficiency was off the charts (I got pretty much all the laundry done in about a week).

Whenever that workaholic life tunes down I find myself somewhat lost and sad. It is pretty simple. The summer time and the camp that I am part of, I miss. I miss the people, I miss the campers smiling, I miss the skits, I miss lives being changed and most of all I miss the passion that my heart exhibits during that time. The same thing happened after my marathon this spring. There was a period of sadness that unexplainable because I had accomplished something amazing. I view every summer as something amazing as well.

When those events end it also gives me the time to think about my life, my wonderful family and my friends. The latter two are people I have neglected during those summer camp months. I pray that those bridges are still standing and that those people still care for me as much as I care for them even though I struggle at showing it sometimes. During this process of thinking about my life I grow distant from the people who are right around me. Maybe because I also long to be alone and not have anyone bother me with issues for awhile.

This year I have processed to the point where I realize what my heart wants right now. It is to see my family. I have a niece and nephew that I want to play a bigger role in their lives like an uncle should. My life stands alone right now because it focuses on my job. My family and the people that I love are independent from it. It is really hard on my spirit to know that is the truth. I pour so much in something that I am passionate about (summer camp) and I find myself not pouring enough in my family cup. I find myself wishing they were combined to make one cup. Someday I know I will be able to find that balance and find that place where I can at least put those two cups closer together.

As I have grown older and lived away from my family for awhile (around 3 years or 8 years if you count college) the calling to be closer to them has risen. I think it is because I have put a focus on life on giving to others the love they deserve especially the ones that love you. My family has loved me a long time and I want to give back to them and also be there for them. This is an aged old problem for lots of people. Can I survive without being close? Most definitely and I can do it happily (like I am now). But the calling is there in my heart and your heart should never be ignored.

I am hoping you read this and still realize that I am living an amazing, blessed life and that I am happy overall. My job and my life here at Camp Flaming Arrow is an amazing opportunity for me to change people's lives and to be surrounded by wonderful people.

Here is sort of a life update for you about what I am doing right now besides writing on a blog:
1. I go on my week and a half long vacation starting Friday afternoon. I am traveling to see my Brother's family down in Nashville. I cannot wait to see them. My parents are coming into Nashville on Sunday, so I get to see them as well.
2. On Tuesday, I am going to a place called the Hike Inn. It looks beautiful and there is no electronics allowed there besides lighting. I am beyond excited for this. It is at the beginning of the Appalachian Trail and I am going to do some trail running while I am there. It is a different place of America that I have never been in before, so that is extremely exciting.
3. I am training for another marathon. My half marathon was going to be the KC Half Marathon in October, but I had something for work that came up. I am running the San Antonio Rock n' Roll Full Marathon on Nov. 13.
4. College football season is here this weekend. I am hoping to get up to Manhattan for a couple games. I am definitely going to the Texas game because it is down here in Austin. It is the week after my marathon so it should work out.
5. Kansas (the dog) is still the best dog in the world. We run almost everyday together. He is truly a blessing.

Remember to live, laugh, Love and look up.

Ryne

The Dry Summer of '11

2011-08-18T17:42:00.000-05:00

Well, another summer is in the books and I survived it. Most of all I saw growth in myself and I learned a lot. Overall it was a good summer. We impacted a lot of kids and staff -- in the end that is what the whole things is about. We had our obstacles and people who were not on the same page as the leadership was but that happens and we learned from it and moved on.

When I look back on this summer I will remember it as the summer where I stopped asking questions and started answering them. That was a huge difference for me. Instead of walking into my supervisor's office everyday and asking questions on what I should do, I found myself just updating him on the important things. I became the go to person for most of the staff at camp and it was the first time where I felt like all I had to do was think for a sec and then I could give them a correct answer. I believe that made me become a better, more reliable leader.

I still have plenty of room to grow though. There were times where my patience was depleted and my thoughts were wandering when someone was talking to me. Seeing those weaknesses in myself frustrates me because I know I could be better.

One thing that always is fun is watching my staff. Seeing the ones who take the challenge and grow is an amazing experience. Sometimes they don't even know that they are doing it. Yes, the overall importance of summer camp is impacting kids lives but something accidentally awesome happens along the way -- 18 to 22 year old young adults turn into positive role models and heroes. Yeah, they may never be written about in history books, but to those kids that they impact they will be remembered forever. I always tell them that when they walk into a room after a summer of being a camp counselor people will be able to tell that they are different and special. Nothing changes you like summer camp does.

Well that is kind a brief update. Summer camp has too many details to go into everything. Just know it was a good one and that life is amazing.

Remember to live, laugh, Love and look up.

Ryne

Marathon and Other Growing Times

2011-04-27T23:07:00.001-05:00

Last Saturday I was up in Kansas doing something I never thought I would be able to do. I finished my marathon in 4:00.17. Less than a 10 minute per mile average (on trails I was told that was booking it) and I am not disappointed in my time but I definitely know that I can do better. It is really weird. I have been in a funk ever since the race. Bill says it has something to do with endorphins. I have no clue what he is talking about but I think I am just sad that it is over. The processing of the race hasn't really taken place yet. I just know there where times when I thought I wanted to die and quit, but I didn't. There were times of pure joy and I didn't cherish them enough. That comes with experience and I know during my next race when to cherish and when to tell my brain to shut off and my heart to turn on. It was an experience to say the least and it was fun enough that I am planning on running another one this fall, the San Antonio Rock n' Roll Marathon. I plan on running the Kansas City Half Marathon the month before with a couple of friends.

Friends and family after I finished with the sign my camp family made me

I think I appreciate what the marathon represents the most. It represents the presence and passion to push on when everything is screaming at you to stop. Accomplishing that, especially on trails, is something I will never forget. A lot of friends have asked me about the marathon and I haven't been the best at answering it, but here is my best attempt.

"It was naturally beautiful to run through the woods. With legs tired and lungs burning crossing the finish line wasn't just stopping the movement I had done for four hours but was the end to a goal I had accomplished and it feels amazing."

Something else big happened lately. I have held onto a certain hate for a long time. I would hide it or run from it. I wasn't taking care of myself emotionally in that aspect. Today I finally sat down with it (literally) and listened. I learned and got an apology that my heart had been longing for. My hate released itself in a manner that was unexpectedly mature. I am thankful for the chance to change my hate into something positive. You live and you learn which is the best thing about living besides Loving people.

Here are some pictures from my race this past weekend. Enjoy!

Within the first mile and I am looking happy and fresh.

Around mile 5 and about to start serious trails and I am super excited.

Around mile 12 or 13 and I am starting to get hungry

Right after I got my medal. I was told the first words out of my mouth after finishing were "I'm Hungry."

Fast times of Spring

2011-04-20T09:11:00.000-05:00

The time leading up to summer camp is alway a hectic one and that was even when I was the retreat director as well as the summer camp director. I feel like I haven't really had time to breathe lately. Last week I traveled to San Antonio/New Braunfels 6 out of the 7 days. It took a heavy toll on my motivation for work. One out the 6 days was worth going because it was going to support a friend and co-worker at a troubling time. But after most drives I just want to go to sleep. Sometimes that happens while I drive. I pulled over last Monday on my way back to camp and slept for an hour and a half at a rest stop. So my hour and a half trip back to camp turned into 3 hours. What a wonderful trip.

As I said earlier I have a lot going on in my life right now. I went to a funeral last week and I learned of a wonderful man but it also made me think about my future. Afterward I found myself asking where will I be in a year or two. Who will be surrounding me and will I be affecting people in a positive manner? I sat at table with friends and co-workers for lunch I felt so thankful to be where I am now with such great people standing with me and working to make a better future for kids. We sat and laughed and had a great time but I could tell a lot of us were reflecting on who we were and what we wanted our future to be. It is important to take that status check sometimes though. It can give you a fresh start or leads you back onto the path that you might have lost sight of. It can be scary but it also does a world of good.

I have also been training for a marathon, which happens to be this upcoming weekend. It has been a long training process and when I first thought about doing it I sustained a stress fracture in my foot, which didn't help mentally for accomplishing this goal. I stuck to the plan though and feel like I have accomplished so much by just making it to this point. For goodness sake I have ran 22 miles in one training day and 55 miles in a week. I feel like that is more miles than some people move in a year. This Saturday is basically a party to celebrate a life changing experience. Some of my college friends will be there and my parents as well. That make the party that much better.

One thing that has been dwelling on my mind a lot lately is something that I have no control over, which is probably why I am worrying so much about it. There are hundreds of wild fires burning in Texas right now and one area where there is a high concentration is Possum Kingdom Lake where YMCA Camp Grady Spruce is. That is where I started with Y camping and got this crazy idea that I wanted to make a career out of this camping thing. I have had some great times there and made some amazing friends. Whenever I need to find some peace in my mind I go to two different places and one of them is the boys chapel at Frontier Camp. To have a peaceful place burn down would be extremely saddening not only for me but tons of other people who had that place shape who they are today. So please keep it and the firefighters fighting the battle in your prayers and thoughts.

Some random thoughts that have crossed my mind lately:
1. I struggle with showing emotion towards of others. I am not quite sure when this happened to me but I used to be a visible emotional roller coaster.
2. If you don't watch E:60 on espn on Wednesdays you should. Amazing stories about life that happens to athletes. Has made me cry two weeks in a row. Powerful stuff that makes you be amazed with the human spirit. If you click on the link watch Paco's gift. Amazing story.
3. My dog is awesome and he is almost two years old.
4. It needs to rain at camp. We have hd on rain in the past to or three months.
5. As summer inches closer my social life has begun to wane. I just want to everyone to know that I still care about them I am just really busy but if you reach out, I will make time for you.

Lastly, remember to live, laugh, Love and look up.

Ryne

Staff Training that I wrote

2011-04-19T14:41:00.000-05:00

What I wrote for the ACA Buffalo Bur Blog:

Yes, staff training can sometimes be considered boring. Your directors know this. We all had to sit through it at some point in our camp lives. The session where you can barely keep your eyes open. While my staff training sessions aren’t perfect and probably never will be but I have learned some things over the past few summers as being a director:

1. The staff will forget most of its training anyway, so make sure you at least get the spirit of camp across. When I was a counselor at camps when I was younger, it seemed as if all they focused on was emergency plans and activity schedules. Those are very important things but it is the first things most staff forget and end up asking about later. What I remember the most is the times with inspirational conversations or when someone talked about the spirit of camp. That is what I try to focus on during my sessions even when it relates to something boring. I always try to relate it to the spirit of camp and how they are making a difference. I didn’t do that much in my first summer here at Camp Flaming Arrow and not everyone on staff bought in. I did it a lot last summer during training (and throughout summer at meetings) and I have never seen a staff that was so bought into camp.
2. Actually do all the activities. The staff bonds when they are put into uncomfortable situations. Our whole staff did high ropes last year and it was a blast, not to mention they were all incredibly close afterwards. Not only do they bond together during this but then they are taught how to run the non-specialized activities themselves, which is always an added bonus.
3. Have cabin a cleaning contest during staff training week with a prize and everything. Not only have it but be even more picky than during sessions when kids are there. It sets the standard high and makes people passionate about cleaning cabins. I have had love notes written to me and bribes left for me. All in good fun, but that passion will carry over to summer.
4. Do service projects. Whether it is digging a fence posthole or painting something. This will make the staff take ownership of camp and not just the programs or the property. Also, make the staff do projects in groups. They might moan and groan but they moan and groan together. It helps them bond and grow as a unit. Plus, they will have time to chat about things and grow closer friendships with one another.
5. This is for directors: It all starts with you. My executive and I joke about this all the time. I believe in the trickle down effect in a leadership setting . If your attitude isn’t positive, if you aren’t excited and if you aren’t working hard during staff training, how can you expect your staff to be that way during the summer when you taught them something different at the beginning.
6. Smile all the time. Dance if you have one during your camper sessions. Have time to unwind on camp together. Create that bond of being a family.

Those are my tips for staff training. This is not the end all be all list, but this is what I have learned so far. Feel free to add a your own if you like.

Remember to live, laugh, Love and look up.

Ryne Witt

Program Director at YMCA Camp Flaming Arrow

www.ymcacampflamingarrow.org

Running to Camp

2011-04-01T09:57:00.000-05:00

So work lately has had a lot of driving lately, which is something that I don't really like all that much. This week alone I have been to San Antonio three times and going a forth today. Because of all of this travel I have started a couple of new things: listening to books while driving and running in random parks in San Antonio. My co-workers probably saying right now I am turning into my supervisor and mentor Bill Hinton, who listens to books all the time when he drives.

The current book I am reading/listening to is "Chicken Soup for the Soul for Runners." Yeah, it is a very cliche thing to read and was very cheap compared to other books on iTunes. But the best part about it is it's real emotion that you can tell the 31 authors in the book wrote from. It was something they are extremely passionate about. Are they the best authors in the world? Nope, but they speak to me better than most books do mainly because you can hear the passion in their words. A lot of their stories relate running to other things happening in their lives or talks about running as it slows down life in some way. It does for me as well but I have always known that about running. I would run as a kid down the block whenever I got frustrated with my brother or to the abandoned college that was about a mile away whenever I was angry.

If you haven't figured out yet I have two personal passions in my life: summer camp and running. I am currently training for a marathon and it is what I think about the most right now. Crossing that finish line will be a very emotional experience for me. It has been a dream of mine to run one for several years and every time I thought about starting to train for one something would happen (injuries, tests, summer camp, etc...). Only one of those reasons I am not frustrated with and that is summer camp.

Summer camp is kind of like running for 10 weeks but only two weeks of it is training and you have to run in a group. It is exhausting. At the end your body, mind and spirit are just ravaged and weary. The same way running extreme distance does to every aspect of your life. When I finished my half marathon a couple weeks ago it felt like I just got done with session 4 of camp. Some may say that 10 week in relation to the year is simply a sprint but I consider it a marathon. When summer starts everyone is jazzed up and ready to start, but then there are sections where it does get bumpy or hilly and you have no other choice except to climb it if you want to finish. Then there is the end when you see the finish and you pick up pace either to prove to yourself that you can do it or just to get it over with.

In the end if I didn't rediscover running in my life about a year ago I don't think I would still be doing summer camp. That might be a surprising statement to some but running helped me endure the hardships of camp and understand that there are a lot of ups and downs in my field of work. Running gave me the time to think about those thing, the strength to overcome them and the ability to find a personal love of an activity that I had been missing for quite some time. After my first summer here at Camp Flaming Arrow I was almost completely drained of everything I had and I couldn't focus on anything other than whether or not I could do it again. Then the book "Born to Run" fell into my lap thanks to MaryAshley McGibbon. I started running and it gave me the time to think and really process summer camp and my role. Listening to myself was something new for me. I never where an Ipod when I run because it gives me the time that I desperately need to hear what my spirit, mind and body are telling me. During the beginnings of my comeback to running, I realized how special summer camp is to me and the people that come through the program. If I ever left it I would regret it the rest of my life and at the same time it reenergized everything about me. Running filled my cup.

Funny thing about is that I haven't even ran a marathon yet and feel like I have accomplished more in my running career than ever thought I would. So thank you running for being there for me when I needed you the most.

Family and Summer Closing In

2011-03-16T11:53:00.001-05:00

So I have terrible at being consistent at blogging. Life has been getting busy with summer inching closer and closer. Not to mention I am training for a marathon (my half marathon race is this weekend). But my life is full and I am really happy where I am at right now, but there are worries ahead.

Whenever I am laying on the couch or whenever I have free time to think I can't stop thinking about how many things I have to do before the summer gets here, which is extremely scary. My breathing becomes quicker and I just mentally have to slow down and relax. Then I plan a timeline in my head what I have to get done. Usually that calms me down. Stress is part of having a job in general. I am just hoping that I can rise up and overcome that stress with hard work and getting projects done. I have done it the past two years but my job has changed since then with us adding another professional staff member. I am still trying to feel out my responsibilities and time management.

I have been in contact with my family more this year. Something that I needed to do and that I am happy that I am doing. A couple weeks ago I got to go see my Grandma and Grandpa Witt and family in Chicago. That was fun even though it was only for a day. The next day I flew to Nashville and saw my brother and his family, which was amazing. First time for me to see James George Witt II. He is still just a little baby but it was great seeing him. Got to see my exciting niece who is growing up. It was just refreshing to see my family. I am here in Texas kind of by myself. I hope I can make it back closer to family someday, but we shall see where my path takes me.

The last thing I want to write about is the feeling that you get when something tragic happens (like the earthquake in Japan). I have the feeling of just wanting to fix it just pick it all up. I can't read the stories or watch TV about it because exhausts me emotionally. I just want to make everything better. Whenever I get that feeling I soon realize I am doing that here somewhat. I am not that good with tools and I don't have much time to spare, but one thing I try to do everyday is Love the people I come into with. I hope that makes in a difference in their life that they go out and do something good. Kind of pay it forward but more of treating people the right way because that is what I am supposed to do. Someday I will do more though, someday.

Well that is all for now. Remember to live, laugh, Love and look up.

Ryne

My Current State of the Triangle

2011-02-07T18:38:00.000-06:00

I wrote this blog for CFA's blog earlier today. It was about spirit, mind and body and how it is important part of my life. The YMCA mission of having a strong spirit, mind and body (the triangle) is something that I made part of my life. I still struggle with it and that is what this blog is about -- my recent struggles and successes.

One of my biggest struggles is being motivated to do work. I struggle with it because it is a year around process even though the most emotional and satisfying events happen during summer when actual camp is in session. Maybe it is because I am young or just naive, I just can't look that far into the future. I have started to combat this though. Camp videos are great resource for marketing but also a great resource to keep me motivated.

Just keeping myself focused on becoming a better person. Things like exercising my spirit and mind sometimes takes a back seat to entertaining myself (TV or movies). I do really good job with doing physical exercise but I lack in the other areas and sometimes that leads to me being just down emotionally and spiritually, which then makes me stop working out and running. I have combated this by giving myself goals for each month like read two books this month, run 100 miles and try to pray every night (something I really struggle with).

In the end, I really want to get the point across of when is the last you stepped back and took a look at your life. I do it often and I don't really know why it is just a natural thing for me to do. I think when people do this they at least get a view of what they need to improve. It might scare you or shock you but don't run from it just grind it out and work on being better. I truly believe none of us are a finished product. Find a positive thing you believe in and work to become a person that exemplifies that. Mine is having a positive balance in spirit, mind and body.

Overall though my life is pretty good and I am so thankful for it. I need to stay connected with my family more (but who doesn't). I never want to be a person who settles on who I am. I want to improve and grow while helping others along the way. That is what my life is about

Music Reminders

2011-02-01T14:55:00.000-06:00

Here are some songs out there (mainstream and camp) that remind me of camp. Here are a few and why they remind me of camp:

Yeah, it is me singing it but this was the first real camp song I ever heard when I became a counselor at Camp Grady Spruce. At my camp where I went as a kid, we didn't sing songs like this.

The first time I ever saw it done this way I couldn't stop laughing. When I hear it at retreats I just want summer to happen.

We play this song at the end of the dance while the oldest cabin help us clean up. Sometimes after they got done cleaning, they put their arms over each other in a circle and sway. Some would look at each other and cry, while other would just smile because they knew they were with family.

When I was at Camp Grady Spruce we sang this at the end of every chapel. It has an amazing messages if you just let love in your life.

When I was a camper and then counselor at Camp Pike, a hiking camp, this song was played before we went the big hike, Pikes Peak. It gives me that anxious feeling still, which is a good thing in my mind.

Hope you enjoyed my music selection. They always put me into a good mood.

Far Too Long

2011-01-19T16:25:00.000-06:00

It has been far too long for me not to blog about camp. A lot has happened in my personal life since I last blogged. My bother and his wife had their second kid. It was a boy and it is named after my father (James George Witt II). That makes me beyond happy. Also it is a new year, which always turns somewhat a new leaf.

So the new leaf I turned in my professional life was turning my attention to marketing. Marketing to me falls into two categories: 1. New Campers 2. Getting the old ones back to camp. So far most of this year has been focusing on getting return campers. One of the awesome things that we did was whatever cabin had the greatest ratio of campers signed up for summer 2011 won a contest. Each kid (that was signed up) in the cabin won 2 free Spurs tickets. I got to call these families. They were beyond excited to see friends that they don't usually connect with.

I had some extra tickets for so I took some counselors out to eat before and we ran late. We missed the whole first quarter, which was a big deal because it was Spurs vs. Mavs. In the group of counselors we had one of the counselors that was in the actual cabin. The cabin was a teenage boy cabin, so sometimes it is hard to see them get excited. So when we showed up late, they were all there sitting in their seats and watching the game, then their counselor turned the corner and they got awkwardly excited. Some just smiled huge and flicked their heads in our direction. Others stood up and waved crazy like while yelling his name. It was awesome to see that all of them smiled when they saw us turn the corner. It was a nice reminder, not just to me, that counselors and staff make a huge impact in these kids life.

At halftime the kids and the counselor left to hang out somewhere else. So I had a chance to go talk to the parents that came with their kids. I sat down with one father and I will probably remember this conversation for the rest of my life, not because it changed my life or changed my way of thinking, but it will be a story I tell till the end of time.

He and his son were from Katy, Texas, which is around two and half hours away from San Antonio. They made the drive (also driving back that night) and I was really surprised that they did. I have known the father for awhile from retreats (he comes with the Katy Adventure Guides) and summer camp. So I sat next to him and we started small talk about the drive. I then said how surprised I was that he made it. He looked at me kind of puzzled. He then said, "This is a great chance for my son to see his friends, of course we would make it." He then went on to tell me about how his co-worker and him talked about when they were young and went to camp. He said they never got this opportunity to see or even communicate with each other in the off season, but now with facebook the kids talk all the time. The only problem is they never see each other face to face. But this event provided that and his son was so happy just to hangout with some of his camp buddies.

Just seeing how happy this father was for his son was amazing to see. His son had an great connection with other kids and he got that connection from camp. I felt so very blessed to be part of that. It brought me back to why I do this and why camps are so amazing. It provides love for the real kid inside of all of those campers. Not only from counselors and staff but from peers, which is significantly important to young person's life.

In the end, I embrace technology for camp, especially in the offseason because they actually get to communicate with each other and keep that friendship alive easily. If we didn't have Skype or facebook it would be far too long for these kids not to be communicating. It keeps that fire burning.

As always remember to live, laugh, Love and look up.

Ryne

Don't let me not fall

2010-12-23T11:23:00.000-06:00

I have the song by B.o.B. running through my head constantly now. "Don't let me fall. I was shooting for stars on a Saturday night, but they say what goes up must come down."

It sounds beyond odd that that line speaks to me for some reason. The song does the exact opposite for me because I know you fall and that is part of life. Asking not to fall is like asking not to learn life lessons. Yes, falling hurts and it is hard, but you can make it worth it by learning why you fell. We all would love to ride on the clouds gliding forward in the sky/lives. But what are you truly learning.

My life has falling moments that at the time I wished someone would have held me up. There is one where I wished someone would have held me up while pushing my problem away but it didn't happen and I learned a hard lesson that I changed my life for good and bad.

Learning these lesson (in my opinion) truly defines you because that new wisdom guides you through life. Some of the wisdom I have learned has led me to the profession that I am in now, given me the mentality that I come second (others first) and it has also led to the fact that I struggle with trusting people, which is a big hinderance in my life. I am still not able to take some of those hurt emotions and be able to process without dark feeling overtaking me. Learning from that time will happen someday whenever I am ready to but it will happen because it has to.

Where did I learn this life skill? Well, that is a simple answer -- Summer Camp. This skill of processing is an individual thing as you get older (yes, you can include friends but many of us keep inside for ourselves to process. I recommend using a friend).

I remember my counselors sitting down and processing (basically listening) things with me when I was kid. I also remember how great it felt when I figured it out or when I learned the lesson that was right in front of me. At CFA we train our counselors to be there and listen because sometimes that is all that is needed. In a sense, our counselors are letting the kids fall, which is bound to happen, but also letting them know that when you fall you aren't alone. People love you no matter if you are on a cloud or you are lying in a street somewhere.

And that is a great lesson to learn.

Remember to live, laugh, Love and look up.

Ryne

Social Life of a Young Camp Professional

2010-12-16T08:36:00.002-06:00

One of the biggest questions I get not only from friends and family but from participants out at camp is, "You are so young, why are you living out here? There can't be much of a social life." The reason why they say this is because most 26 year olds don't want to live in the middle of woods where the closest town is a retirement community. They are stereotyping and it is true for the most part.

I struggle with loneliness out here but I also struggled with it when I lived in the Dallas/Ft. Worth Metroplex (maybe even more so). I have friends who struggle as well because it is hard to live out here with no family near and being single. You adapt to the situation though and I might be better at adapting then some people would. I have always been somewhat of a loner, don't like big crowds and like being in nature.

To combat this loneliness that I did have in my life I made a effort to get out and meet people, make sure my life was filled with activities and communicated with the people around me. Luckily, I am located near other summer camps that have young professionals that live here as well. We formed a group called KCYCP (Kerr County Young Camping Professionals). Basically, we just have a fancy name for a group of friends. We have Christmas parties, go out for dinner and drinks, the girls have slumber parties, basically all the things normal groups of friends do. The great thing about it though, is that we are all quite different people but one thing strengthens and supports our friendships -- Summer Camp.

I also started new hobbies/activities once I got out here. As soon as I arrived, my boss and I did P90X together. Not only did that help me stay fit but also help me feel like part of his life because he took time out of his day to be with me. That is a big deal when you are a stranger in a new land. I also started trail running, mt. biking and reading more. All of which took up time in the day and helped me grow as a person.

Lastly (and I can't stress this one enough), I started to communicate better with the people around me about how I was feeling. I have struggled with trust for a long time and I still do, but I learned over time that if you want people to be there for you or you want to work out your problems with someone you need to communicate with them. Otherwise, it festers inside and grows leading to a awkward wall between you and your friends/family, which includes fake smiles and gossip -- both of which completely destroy friendships. This is still a work in progress but I have taken strides.

So I guess that is sort of my formula to battle a non-existent social life when starting out as a young professional. Loneliness happens, it happens for everyone but it is how you grow from it and handle it is what really matters.

Remember to live, laugh, Love and look up.

Ryne

Love does amazing things (like this video)

2010-12-01T10:07:00.001-06:00

So I believe in Love and that makes me a softy but when I see videos like this it just makes me overwhelmed with the power of Love:

Here is the description from youtube about the video (the reason why the video is awesome):
After my girlfriend moved away for graduate school, I wanted to create something different to express my feelings for her. I secretly created a song and video with my friends the Daylights in hopes that it would be passed around and get to her organically. WITH YOUR HELP, we can meet this goal and it can stand as a symbol of what we can do as an digital social community. This is dedicated to anyone who is separated from people they love.

I will let you know if it works on my Twitter @WalterCMay

Pass it on to whoever. Love is the reason why I do the job that I am doing now and why I believe the world is good.

Been awhile

2010-11-29T15:44:00.001-06:00

It has been awhile since my last post, but here is a new installment of "The Camp Life."

I hope everyone's Thanksgiving was great. Mine was good, especially since I went to Kansas and got to take my dog Kansas. My parents live on 13 acres outside of Canton, KS and it is just really peaceful and quiet.

It was good to get away from camp. Not that I dislike camp, but it was time to get away. I am still wanting to take a true vacation where I make my own schedule. I am planning one of those for next year. It is going to be a trip to Oregon to sleep in tree tops and trail run to mountain side cabins. Amazing. If you would like to attend let me know.

You just have to escape sometimes. I really needed to because I wasn't in the right state of mind anymore. I found myself being more and more negative everyday, which is something I don't want. I felt more and more lonely as well even though my social life was busy (well busy for me). It was time for a change of scenery for a little bit and Kansas (the state) and my family provided me that. In the camping world and in the other world, sometimes you need a quick break from everything. While I wish it was a little longer, I am in a better state of mind now. Now it is back to work and back to camp, which I love now more than ever.

A random camp resource for you -
http://www.ultimatecampresource.com/.

Remember to live, laugh, LOVE and look up.

Ryne

The Camp Counselor

2010-11-02T15:22:00.000-05:00

This is what I think of whenever anyone asks what a camp counselor does. Even though it was written in the 60s, it is still relevant to today.

What is a Camp Counselor---A Poem
Somewhere between adolescence and adulthood there occurs in human development an age which is physically and psychologically impossible. It is that unfathomable stage known as "Camp Counselor", a creature undefined by psychologists, misunderstood by camp directors, either admired or doubted by parents, and unheard of by the rest of society.

A camp counselor is a rare combination of doctor, lawyer and Indian Chief. They are competent child psychologists, paid baby sitters with neither television nor refrigerator. They are strict disciplinarians with a twinkle in their eye: a minister to all faiths with questions about their own. They are referees, coaches, teachers, and advisors. They are the example of grown-ups in worn out tennis shoes, a sweat shirt 2 sizes to large and a hat 2 sizes to small. They are humorists in a crisis, a doctor in an emergency, a song leader, an entertainer, a play director. Counselors are idols with their head in a cloud of wood smoke and their feet in mud. They are comforters in a leaky tent on a cold night and a pal who has just loaned someone their last pair of dry socks. They are teachers of the out-of-doors, knee deep in poison ivy.

Counselors dislike the wake-up bell, waiting in line, cabin clean-up, and rainy days. They are fond of sun bathing, exploring, teaching new games, and days off. They are handy for patching up broken friendships, bloody knees, and torn jeans. they are good at locating lost bathing suits, playing guitar, and catching fish. They are poor at crawling out on rainy mornings, and getting to bed early. A counselor is a dynamo on a day off, and exhausted the next day, but recuperates for the next day off.

Who but a counselor can cure homesickness, air out wet bedding, whistle"Dixie" through their fingers, and sing 37 verses of " oh you can't get to heaven".

A counselor is expected to repair 10 years of damage to Becky in 10 days, turn Terri in to a woman, rehabilitate Matt allow Joan to be an individual, and help Pat adjust to the group. They are expected to lead the most prized possession of adults much older than themselves. They are expected to lead them in fun and adventure in the North-woods, even though they spend 9 months a year in cities like Chicago, New York or Los Angles; to teach ingenious activities-then they can't even spell it; to guide them into social adjustment-when they haven't found it; to ensure safety and health- with a sunburned nose, a band aid on their thumb, and a blister on their heal. For all this, they are paid enough to buy the second text in psychology, some aspirin, some new socks and some tennis shoes. You wonder how they can stand the pace and the pressure. You wonder if they really know how much they are worth, and somehow, you realize you can never pay them enough when, they leave in August, and they wave good-by and says, "See' ya next summer!

"From "What is a Camp Counselor", Camping Magazine March 1965, P.M. Ford

Parents, floor troubles and good friends

2010-11-01T08:38:00.000-05:00

One thing I never get bored of is my parents coming to visit. They provide the Love that I don't always get down here. Plus, they are family and nothing really is better than family. They brought me dinner and we just had a lazy lounge time while watching the Rangers game. It was nice having them here. This is the time of year that is slow and can be lonely, so having people visit during the fall is always amazing.

I ripped up my tiles in my bathroom, kitchen and laundry room last week, which was amazingly fun. We were just going to put tile down but when I pulled the other stuff up we noticed that the floor was actually crazy uneven. We (the higher ups at camp) were afraid that the tiles would break when someone stepped on them. So we decided to go with a different plan. Bill wanted me to take off all the glue on the floor. While a good idea, it just would have taken me about a month to get all the glue off the floor. That was the most frustrating part. No matter how hard I would scrub with the wire brush, the glue wouldn't go anywhere. So now we are going to list the help of a Home Depot professional. I just want my house back to normal. How this relates to camp is that you always be prepared and flexible when it come to your infrastructure, especially when it is old like my house.

To end the week though was a great thing. We went out to Lost Maples state park and went hiking/trail running on Sunday. Spent it with great friends and great dogs.

Remember to live, laugh, Love and look up.

Ryne

Why and what I do

2010-10-26T12:06:00.000-05:00

This video is why I do what I do. I picked this up at the 125th Celebration of Y Camping:

Here are some thoughts I had about it:

-Notice the quotes that the narrator says or the ones they flash on the screen. My favorite: "The joy and success of a camp depend not on the new pool, the pleasant lodging or the other facilities but on the leadership."Richard T. Schwartz, camper then counselor at YMCA Camp Kern.

-It is really cool seeing the old pictures and history of different camps. CFA actually has 4 pictures in this.

-As it said in the video, the counselor/camper relationship is one of the most important things in summer camps. I remember my first counselors Paul Laudermilk and Brian Sheridan. They took care of me and loved me. Some of their morals rubbed off on me and I have them now. I hope I have made an impact on the campers I worked with as those two did with me.

-This video sums up why I do what I do. Not with what the narrator says, but with all the smiles that are in the pictures.

Back at camp and retreats

2010-10-19T17:11:00.000-05:00

Well, I got back from Colorado (want to work there someday) last Thursday night (eventful, I slept in the bed of a truck for the first time). I learned a lot at the conference, including some marketing ideas that will hopefully help us reach our budget goal this year, which is quite a significant jump from last summer. Allison and I will talking about them later on this week and hopefully she won't think I am dumb for thinking they are good ideas.

It is budget season which can always be stressful because you can see your job disappearing if you don't have enough campers or revenue (however you want to look at it). I am finding myself not too worried about it though. It just provides me an opportunity to impact as many campers (or people) as possible, which is what I truly want and why I do the job that I do.

Moving onto a different aspect of camp, this past weekend was the first weekend that I wasn't in charge of and was actually here for (we just hired a retreat director). I was going kind of stir crazy while the retreat was going on. Most of all I am going to miss interacting with the staff and patrons. I am going to miss being busy. In the end I just need to get out and market more.

Life is good though. I am getting into a good routine and keeping a good balance.

That is all for now. Remember to live, laugh, Love and look up.

Ryne

Learning

2010-10-11T22:17:00.000-05:00

I am attending the Celebration of the 125th YMCA Camping at the YMCA of the Rockies Conference Center. It has been a humbling experience as well as an enlightening one (I got hypnotized tonight and did really weird things). Overall it has been a great experience and I still have a full day left to learn more.

I haven't done what I set out to accomplish and that is sit down with a old time camp professional and have a real long good talk to them. Understanding the past perspective on camping is not only a way of me having knowledge of the past but also learn from their mistakes and successes. Of course I will have to adjust them to this what is going on in our world now, but not going into that forest blind will really help me out with effecting kids lives in a positive manner.

One thing that I am taking away from this so far is the need for me time, which is one of my ragger goals. I have spent a lot of time with a great friend and mentor Capri Destefano (one of my former bosses at YMCA Camp Grady Spruce Frontier Camp). Also, have been on two awesome trail runs through the mountains. I have never really felt this kind of peace before and it is amazingly nice.

Not to mention all the ideas that are running through my head about camp programs and marketing it. I feel very special to have the job that I have and this conference has made me realize the impact I need to be making. I believe we are in a transition into a new era of camping that we haven't really figured out yet. I am hoping that some of my ideas and people that I have worked with will become a part of it.

Well, that is all from Colorado. Might write again tomorrow. Just so many juices flowing right now.

Remember to live, laugh, LOVE and look up.

Ryne

I.I.L. Part two from CFA's Blog

2010-10-07T22:54:00.001-05:00

This is the story that was told at opening campfire every session this summer. This is something from my camp past that really formed the strong belief I have in the benefits of the summer camp experience. This story is about how love change a person's personal image and help them overcome mountains (literally). This is final part of my look at I.I.L.

I grew up going to a camp called Camp Pike. It was a one week Christian hiking camp that was based out of Coppell, Texas, but the actual camp was in Colorado at the Rocky Mountain Mennonite Camp, which is in Pike National Forest near Pike's Peak. I started going in 7th grade and continued to be a camper until after my sophomore year of high school. After that you can apply to be a counselor. Luckily, I became a counselor and I got to continue on helping and being part of the camp that I loved.

In my second or third year as a counselor I got to be hikemaster, which is the person in charge of organizing all the hikes from counselors to campers. During the planning, I noticed that there was a camper coming to camp that was deaf -- Trevor. I thought to myself this will be interesting since it was going to be a struggle to communicate with him on hikes. The only problem with that was my ignorance. People who are deaf also have a hard time with balance because balance is in your ears, which of course I didn't realize until he arrived at camp.

Trevor looked like a normal camper and smiled like one as well. It took me awhile to realize who he was because when stepped off the bus he wore a beanie to cover up the implant that was in each of his ears and he would always be smiling. The first night was tough one for Trevor. Something happened in his cabin that scared him. He grabbed the broom and swung it around the cabin, then he ran to his mother who was the camp nurse that weekend (his sister was also a camper that year).

The first time I saw him struggle with his balance at camp was during an evening program. Part of the game was to cross to a creek by hopping across on some rocks. He refused to hop across. His face was white and his eyes wide. He didn't want to leave his comfort zone. The rest of his cabin had already moved on from that obstacle. I motioned for him to catch up with his cabin on the other side of the bridge. He ran as fast as he could over to them to join them for the last half of the evening program.

On the 2nd to last day we climb Pike's Peak as a camp. Yes, about 100 sixth, seventh and eighth graders climbing a 14,000 ft mountain. It is a long hike that can range from 7 to 12 hours in length. In order to go on this hike you have to complete several preliminary hikes over the first few days of camp.

Trevor struggled with the hikes but he made it through them. My only question about him was going to be his endurance. He was always really tired after the hikes. Keeping your balance over such a long period of time while hiking up a mountain had to take its toll. Besides making it up all the hikes, Trevor had started to be more outgoing. He was trying to communicate more with other campers and counselors. He taught us some sign language (I still do some today). My favorite was stars. It seemed his favorite, especially out at camp because he could actually see them. At the camp dance he asked a girl to dance for the first time in his life (she said yes).

The Pike day starts really early (around 4:00 is wake up and 4:30 breakfast if I remember correctly). Trevor was in the first group out so he could have more time to make it up the summit. I put him with a really strong (spirit, mind and body) counselor named Charles. So they headed out. I was in the last group to head up to the mountain, which meant we would catch up to the first group near the top.

We finally caught up to them about 30 minutes from summiting. It was 7 or 8 hours into their hike and 5 hours into ours. As I looked up at Trevor's hike group, I noticed something different. Charles was grabbing Trevor's backpack. I was puzzled. Then I saw Trevor stumble and Charles was holding him up. The stumbling and holding continued until the last 30 yards. That is when Trevor saw his mom and sister standing there waiting for him. He broke away from Charles and ran to them. They crumbled together in a beautiful embrace. Happy tears ran down their faces. He had accomplished something that I don't think he even thought he could do.

Not only is this story about the supportive love that happened that week with Trevor but it is about the love that Trevor planted in other peoples heart that week. I love summer camp and Trevor and his growth that week are some of the reasons why. He doesn't know but he gave me more than he truly realizes. That is what makes summer camp so great.

While I love this story, this story happens at summer camps around the country. I witness it every week out here CFA. I watch kids conquer their fears on the leap of faith out at high ropes or just being away from home for the first time. Camp provides that unique opportunity for a child to grow in a place where they are loved unconditionally. When the campers grow, so does the staff.

This past summer our staff impacted many lives and it impacted them. After our closing dinner, we watched the staff video and after that they cried, hugged and were saying goodbye. It was the end and they finally realized the impact they had on kids and how those kids impacted their lives. It seemed like 2 hours before everyone finally got done saying their goodbyes. That is what summer camp is about -- impacting lives with love.

I.I.L. Part 1

2010-09-27T14:26:00.000-05:00

This is a blog entry I wrote from YMCA Camp Flaming Arrows summer camp blog at heyheycfa.blogspot.com.

An important part of our summer camp experience at CFA is our motto I.I.L or "Is it Loving?" This means is everything that you do in a loving manner. In these next two blog posts by me I am looking back at some of the camp experiences I have had in my life that really exemplify that motto and why I truly believe that summer camp is a great place for young people to be learning how to Love others.

One of my first memories of summer camp was when I was in seventh grade. It was my first time at Camp Pike (my camp I went to when I was younger, a Christian-hiking camp in Colorado near Pike's Peak). The first night I was either crazy homesick or crazy dehydrated (probably both). My counselor carried me back to the cabin. Once there, he gave his own personal gatorade. I drank it amazingly fast. When I was feeling terrible, we were doing signups for that weeks activities and I hadn't even filled any of my spots. After I got done drinking his gatorade he left and took my sign up sheet. After about 40 minutes he came back with the rest of my cabinmates and he had filled out all my activities for me. Not only did he fill it out, but he filled it out perfectly, which meant lots of sports and not a lot of arts & crafts (no offense). I remember that counselor's name to this day -- Brian Sheraton. He loved me and the rest of my cabinmates before we even arrived. He showed the camp Love the first day I was there.

A story about this past summer at CFA is about the staff. It was during the end of staff training week and the whole staff was in Strong Hall. It was time for me to ask them to donate to our Y Partners campaign (it is our scholarship program that helps send kids to camp). It was my first time to ask people in person to donate to camps scholarship fund. I was extremely nervous and I did my speech that I had been practicing all week in my head. The staff sat there and listened quietly. At the end, they filled out sheets of paper of how much they would donate. As they started to turn them in I started to get goosebumps. I was calculating the numbers in my head and the numbers were shocking. They were passing my goal, which was $1,000. Bill and I stared at each other teary eyed, overwhelmed by the generosity of the people surrounding us. In the end, they donated a total $1,400 dollars, which was good enough to send two campers to camp. It was at that moment I realized how amazing our summer was going to be because of all the Love in that room.

Live, laugh, LOVE and look up.

Ryne

Statisfied

2010-09-26T23:18:00.000-05:00

This morning I walked across our bridge here at CFA and there were a few kids standing on it. They were just hanging out before they went to breakfast and then left after that, so I asked them how they were doing. They all then spoke in unison and said "I don't want to leave. I don't want to go home."

That is what makes my job so amazing. Even though they basically spent only a couple days out at camp during their Cub Scout retreat, I feel like we have impacted their lives in some way. That conversation I had means just as much as when a camper says they don't want to go home after summer camp. It just tells me that they found a place they feel like they belong and enjoy. That means so much to me.

Live, laugh, LOVE and look up.

Ryne

Personal Time

2010-09-22T18:42:00.000-05:00

As a young camping professional there are certain sacrifices you make. A couple major ones is time and having an active social life. You live where you work and you live in the middle of the woods (most of the time, some camps have their professional staff live in cities, which I disagree with). For a young person most likely right out of college it is a shock to your social system.

My problem was since I didn't have a social life when I first started here at YMCA Camp Flaming Arrow all I did was work and exercise, which is a lot of what I still do today. It created a habit for me and put me into a comfort zone when I first arrived. As my first summer neared, I quit working out and all I did basically was work (especially since I work weekends most of the year). Working became more than just a passion. It became a obsession. I survived my first summer without it becoming an issue.

After my first summer I found a group of friends (KCYCP) and it became a good core group of good people. Still though the obsession remained in my head. I could never really stop thinking about camp. Then I started my exercise routine again and I thought I finally might beat obsession and just downgrade it to a passion. But the summer neared again and I started not hanging out with my KCYCP friends as much, but I still exercised. The thing I forgot to do is make time for healthy eating.

I started distance running (not just 3 to 4 miles a day but 6 to 10 miles a day). I made time in my day to do that but I didn't make time in my day to eat that the right amount of food in order to fuel my body properly (let alone enough time just to realize that I should be eating more calories). I dropped weight and I started to get sick a lot more, which led me to not exercising and just working (right before summer started work was just insane for me). I traveled to San Antonio a lot (at least twice a week sometimes) and also ran retreats on weekends (sometimes I would skip meals because I was too busy helping people). All this took a toll on my spirit and body. My mind was back to just thinking about camp.

During all of this I neglected some very important things in my life besides myself. My family and friends. It is a struggle and it continues to be. I have never been a great communicator with my parents or family. It is one of my downfalls and this obsession just made it worse. I worry I will turn into one of those people that will neglect those that love him/her, which is probably one of the reason why I keep a lot of people at arms length. I made a commitment this summer as one of my ragger goals this summer is make sure my family knows that I love them dearly and I cherish them with all my heart.

When my second summer happened my body just couldn't handle it. I had several health issues and my weight dropped to 149 pounds. It affected everything. I wasn't able to do as much as I wanted and I was constantly stressed about what is happening next to my body (this is all on top of the daily grind of summer camp). It was all my own fault though. I needed to take time for myself and family.

I guess what I want to share with this post is not a pity me story. It is more of lets be aware of what we are doing to ourselves. Make a commitment to take time for yourself. I have started that this fall and I feel so much better (physically, mentally and spiritually). I would like to thank Bill Hinton for sitting with me (several times) and telling me to take time for myself. I had to go through the bad to finally actually realize it.

"You can't take care of others if you are broken down."

Remember to live, laugh, LOVE and look up.

Ryne

Camp Education Pt. 2

2010-09-15T09:14:00.000-05:00

To continue from pt. 1 I have pat. 2 of the education of camp. In this one I am going to think of solutions if the school year does go year around. These are just my ideas and please add anything you think of.

1. Only Outdoor Education and retreats at Camp

Pros: Impact a large amount of people, education outside, fiscal impact on camp
Cons: Staffing (more expensive [adding a lot of full-time people, house keeper and more maintence] and lose the energy of college aged staff members), wear and tear on camp, the pool of schools wanting to come out is larger but so is the competition, lose that summer camp spirit

2. Outdoor Education, retreats and Holiday Camps ("summer camp" type programming run during school breaks like spring break or winter break)

Pros: Still get some summer camp spirit, impact a large amount of people, education outside, fiscal impact on camp
Cons: Staffing, wear and tear on camp

3. Outdoor education only (some program change to have a summer campy feel)

Pros: A specialized focus, impact large amount of people, education outside, staffing (easier if you can focus on one thing)
Cons: Fiscal impact not as great, wear and tear, staffing (lose younger energy)

That is all I have right now. Hope you enjoyed. I will be trying to write in this thing at least 3 times a week now (suppose it helps with the popularity of it).

Live, laugh, LOVE and look up.

Education and Summer Camp pt. 1

2010-09-01T22:46:00.000-05:00

"I have a conviction that a few weeks spent in a well-organized summer
camp may be of more value educationally than a whole year of formal school
work." - Charles William Eliot, President, Harvard University

I read that quote on my friends facebook a few weeks ago and it got me thinking about how summer camp educates people. This week I had ACA's (American Camp Association) magazine plop on my desk and on the front it reads "The Educational Value of Camp". Well, I thought this is a good opportunity to learn something about not only the future of education during summer camp, but also the past.

This post is part 1 of 2 about summer camp and education. This is more about the past -- camps and my education in camping -- and part 2 is ideas about the future of education in summer camping or camping in general.

According to the magazine article "Camp as Educator: Lessons Learned from History" the first organized summer camp (Gunnery Camp) was founded in 1861 by Fredrick William Gunn. The reason why summer camps came into existence in the first place is because if gave children a place to go to be outside and learn in a place where they can experience it (not just sit in a desk and listen to it). People had started moving from rural parts of the country to cities. By moving to the city children lost the opportunity to have a hands on education, which they used to get by helping their families on the farm, ranch, etc... (funny thing that was said in the article kids only used to go to "school" for the winter months, which equates to about three months a year, and that was only to supplement their education with "bookwork").

So people saw a need and filled it. Enough so that educators and magazines throughout the early and mid 1900s thought camp was so important they gave some pretty sweet quotes about it (all of these taken from the article):

"Camp life gives a girl a good store of knowledge as a preparation for her academic work." - Outlook magazine 1914

"Because camps have the child twenty-four hours of the day and partly because they are not bound by tradition as are the schools, they have even better chance than the schools to do a really educative job." - The Family Consultation Bureau and Child Development Institutes in "Summer Camps: A guide for parents" (1935).

"In all probability the educationist of the year 2000 AD will look back upon us and wonder why we, the school people of 1938, failed to include the camp as an integral unit of our educational system." - Phi Delta Kappa's (the leading international professional education organization) magazine Kappan (1938).

That last quote is my favorite, not because I believe it has happened, but because I believe the opposite has happened. It isn't the teachers or students fault, but I lay the blame on the leaders and the parents (yes, the cliche parents excuse). I was lucky enough to have parents that cared about me enough to send me to summer camp, but not only that, they encouraged me to be outside. I remember playing in my yard in Dodge City, KS until sunset and then not wanting to go back inside. I played with lava rocks (I remember someone telling me how they were made, but don't remember who), laid in the grass, watched and used my imagination trying to figure out what that cloud looked like and most of all I interacted with nature. My early school years I remember experiencing my education, not just reading it or hearing it. My middle years (late middle school and pretty much all of high school) I was stuck inside and I don't really remember experiencing my education at all. It didn't really prepare me for college like it was suppose because you experience college (if you do it right, it took me a while to figure that out) not just skip class and read it in your text book.

Now do I think I am the smartest person in the world? No, but I bet you that person who figured out geometry or biology didn't get that knowledge by sitting in a classroom and then all of sudden the knowledge was just exploding out of their head. They went out and saw it in nature. They watched rocks fall or animals move. They went hunting with their families and had someone explain to them what different parts of the animal were.

Do kids get that nature fix today? Some do, especially the ones who go to summer camp (even though I believe some camps are running from it in order to please the parent). Not all though and I truly believe that is one of the main problems wrong with our educational system here in America. Our leaders (even our president) have been asking for the school year to go year around (more on that in part 2). What would that do? The ACA magazine article quoted this from the 1935 publication "Summer Camps: A guide for parents" about schooling, "a set of habits and attitudes that tend to make it not an educational institution, but a certification agency." Then followed it up with this, "the school considers itself as a place in which to get young people to pass examinations." Has the school system really change? I don't feel like it has in my life experiences (minus my college experience). It probably has for some and that is great, but it needs to be closer to everyone not just some.

Now I don't have a grand plan to fix it except that I think that our leaders need to understand the importance of summer camp/nature time. I also think parents should send their kids and help send other kids (some camps take donations to give scholarships to families who need money to send their kid[s] to camp) to summer camp is a start (not to mention unplugging the TV/internet for at least 3 days a week).

Why do I think summer camp is one of the main solutions? Well, it is a structured environment that allows children to play in nature and not only learn about nature, but about community, healthy lifestyles and themselves. It did it for me and I know it did that for hundreds of campers that came through our camp this summer. It builds you from the core. Camp is where you can truly live.

"We learn what we live, only what we live, and everything that we live." Columbia University Professor W.H. Kilpatrick's "The Role of Camping in Education Today" (1942).

Live, laugh, LOVE and look up.

Ryne

www.ymcacampflamingarrow.org

ACA Article "Camp as Educator: Lessons Learned from History" http://www.acacamps.org/campmag/1009/camp-educator-lessons-learned-history

Quiet Reflection of Bliss

2010-08-26T17:13:00.000-05:00

Basically, lately it is the time of year that most camp professionals sort of dread (or love depends on how your summer went). Yes, it is a relaxing time where summer camp is over and the 8 to 5 (sometimes 9 to 5) work day begins. You get to go home at the end of the day and actually have hours of where you can live your own personal life whether it be with family or in my case just my dog and I.

It also gives you time to reflect and it makes you camp sick. I find myself thinking back to my staff and campers. I miss the daily grind of summer camp. I even miss the fires I have to put out and the difficult management conversations. Most of all, I miss the noise of joy. Kids and staff interacting with laughter and goofiness is probably the most joyful sound I can think of. Now quietness falls over camp. I don't hear green trees and taps every night and I don't get to hear the goofy song at flag every morning. Sometimes I woke up early and sat on the dining hall porch just so I could hear that song echo off the hills surrounding camp. It was true simple blissfulness. It was camp.

When I think back to this past summer I can't help but think about how special it was. We were so bless here at YMCA Camp Flaming Arrow. The growth not only in campers but the staff as people was amazing to watch. It is what makes my job worth the stupid amount hours that I work. When I lay my head down at night I feel full because I feel like I am making a difference in the world. Not many people can say that in their life right now. I am so thankful that I can.

Now it is time to get ready for next summer. It will be my third summer here at CFA and I can't wait for it to start because I already know it is going to be truly special.

Remember to live, laugh, LOVE and look up.

The Camp Life

If I Die Tonight

Hitting the Emotional Bump

A New Job in a New Place

Muppets and Saying Goodbye

Life is a Changin'

The Doing of Right

Family and Camp Family

In the Shadow of Summer

The Dry Summer of '11

Marathon and Other Growing Times

Fast times of Spring

Staff Training that I wrote

Running to Camp

Family and Summer Closing In

My Current State of the Triangle

Music Reminders

Far Too Long

Don't let me not fall

Social Life of a Young Camp Professional

Love does amazing things (like this video)

Been awhile

The Camp Counselor

Parents, floor troubles and good friends

Why and what I do

Back at camp and retreats

Learning

I.I.L. Part two from CFA's Blog

I.I.L. Part 1

Statisfied

Personal Time

Camp Education Pt. 2

Education and Summer Camp pt. 1

"I have a conviction that a few weeks spent in a well-organized summercamp may be of more value educationally than a whole year of formal schoolwork." - Charles William Eliot, President, Harvard University

Quiet Reflection of Bliss

"I have a conviction that a few weeks spent in a well-organized summer
camp may be of more value educationally than a whole year of formal school
work." - Charles William Eliot, President, Harvard University