Camp dreams

Well, the camp dreams have at last kicked in...a week or so later than usual...I was begining to think I might miss them altogether. For those who don't already know, part of my job as the 4-H agent in Gloucester involves taking 180 youth ages 9-13 and 26 teen counselors to camp. I am not completely alone. I go with our Program Assistant, Jackie, and ten adult volunteers...and camp has great summer staff and a wonderful Program Director...but still, as the person in charge of our group, it can get a little stressfull...and I find myself going through the potential issues in dreams leading up to camp. In a strange way I am thankful for these crazy dreams because they sometimes take the edge off, and they are certainly preferable to dreams of correcting the disaster that is my house.

So last night it was the first night at camp, and I was surprised to discover that I had too many adult volunteers. Yes, too many. If you were a 4-H agent you would be laughing hysterically about that last statement.  I don't think anyone has ever had a problem with too many. Most people just don't relish a week with 200 kids in fairly rustic cabins (they do have air-conditioning now...didn't when I went all those many years ago). Anyhow, you'll just have to trust me...you don't get too many people wanting to go to camp.  I am going to ask if anyone has had this issue when I get to Jamestown on the 9th...because now I am wondering... It usually goes like this: I think about someone who would be great to have at camp, and when I finaly muster up the courage to ask, he or she looks at me like a deer caught in the headlights and then laughs...and it is the "You Must Be Crazy" kind of laughter...yep...nine times out of ten, that is how it goes.

So, back to this dream. There are too many volunteers so there is no place for me to sleep.  I go to find my friend Marlie, the Program Director.  I tell her about my problem and she turns into this completely insane monster, day glo-green and all (this is would be so uncharacteristic of Mars, I can't even explain). She tells me I can't borrow the tents because they are needed for OLS II (Outdoor Living Skills) for the Thursday night camp out. I plead for the tent, because it is Monday for crying out loud! The Marlie Monster tells me she wouldn't want me getting used to sleeping in a tent that wouldn't be available the full week. She points her little glowing finger toward the canoe shed and tells me to sleep there.

 I drag my blankie and pillow across the field to the dark canoe shed.  It reaks of musty old life jackets, but I arrange them to make a bed, and I try to sleep. It is too hot. There is no air. I can't believe I am sleeping in the canoe shed. I struggle to even breathe. I toss and turn on the ever shifting pile of life preservers.  There is a mouse or maybe something bigger in the far corner. I really can't believe I am sleeping here. After a few hours I leave the shed. I find a nearby canoe, put my pillow and blankie in, watch the bats flap their wings across the full moon, and I fall asleep. 

Then the dream goes blank for awhile. Nothing.

When it returns, I am awakened by a loud honking sound. I am completely disoriented. I sit up in my canoe and realize I am about to be run over by the Jamestown-Scotland Ferry. Then it ends.

Camp starts August 9. I have 9 more nights of camp dreams.

A duck conversation with a camper

The geese at Beaverdam. No duck shots.

We did a nature camp with 5-8 year olds this week at Beaverdam Park. Chasing ducks and geese quickly became the main activity for a few of the campers...but some of them shared some pretty funny stories about ducks of they once had. Once HAD...yes, even the little ones know that ducks are messy, and not all that fun to keep at home. I shared one of my duck stories with a rising first grader...

Camper: We used to have ducks, but we had to get rid of them...they're messy.
Me: Noah and I had ducks too.  The followed us everywhere, but they they really liked to just hang out on our porch.
Camper: They probably pooped there too.
Me: Yeah, so one day we decided to move them to our farm across the street where there is a nice big pond. At the house they only had a kiddie pool. They swam around and seemed to like their new home, but guess what?
Camper: What?
Me: The next day they flew back home.
Camper: So you got stuck with the poop again?
Me: Well, we clipped some feathers so they couldn't fly so well, and we took them back to the pond. But guess what?
Camper: What?
Me: The next day, I was sitting on the front porch when I saw them walking down the driveway. They just walked home.
Camper: Oh, I know, so you cut off their feet. Can I have some lemonade?

I never got a chance to say that we didn't cut off their feet.

Rambling thoughts from the Fighting Mermaid

The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing. One cannot help but be in awe when he contemplates the mysteries of eternity, of life, of the marvelous structure of reality. It is enough if one tries merely to comprehend a little of this mystery every day. Never lose a holy curiosity. Einstein

There are times when I wish I could stop questioning, but it just isn't in me. I spend a lot of time questioning, pondering, meditating on why I believe the things I do, and I am probably no closer to answers than when I first began...I only develop new questions. The questioning can begin with something small, and seemingly simple, and before I have a chance to draw in a single breath the whole puzzle begins to morph and I struggle to put the pieces back, to put the pieces back into a puzzle that no longer has the same shape where the pieces can no longer fit.

So tonight I read somewhere that Jesus was a Conservative and that the U.S. is on a fast track towards Socialism, and now after a few moments in utter amazement, I am contemplating faith and government and trying to understand why I believe the things I do. Be forewarned...you are about to get a glimpse into the workings of a mind that won't be stilled, where the pieces of the puzzle may not appear to fit where they should...this is Krista's brain on religion and politics and to tell you right from the start...I don't buy into either.  If I had to use labels, I guess I would say I am a Radical Leftist Christian Treehugger, but honestly, I'm laughing right now at having written that. Labels don't get us any closer to understanding...

A few pieces of my puzzle.

• I am a huge fan of Jesus. What to say beyond that, I don't know. The personal relationship means everything to me. I am happy to share my own experience, but I am not going to beat you over the head with dogma, because that never really worked for me.
• I believe that God's love is limitless and that the experience of grace is so wildly insane that it defies description. It is life altering... and it exists for everyone. Don't ever let anyone tell you that you're not included.
• I don't think evolutionary theory contradicts a belief in the Creator.
• I believe that the world's major religions share in common a message of hope, compassion and love, and that God gives me the ability to love and care for people of all faiths. 
• I don't think I would use the term "conservative" in any of its meanings to describe Jesus. To me, he was radical, revolutionary, and his love was meant for all.
• I think the best government is one that strikes a careful balance between individual liberties and the good of all.. including the least fortunate and the least deserving.
• I think that the place where we find ourselves now in American politics reflects not the failure of individuals to lead but the failure of the two party system which has so polarized us that we are no longer able to see our many points in common. We make blue and red decisions when we are all just little purple people clinging to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
• I think those who think we are headed toward socialism have no idea what a socialist government really looks like. The short term government solutions to some of our recent financial problems for me just aren't enough to herald the death of capitalism in a country where it is all about the Benjamins.
• I think the way out of the political mess is to rid ourselves of labels, stop the spread of party lies, and be the change we wish to see in the world...yes, thank you, Ghandi...so that means getting our hands dirty, giving up time and money and stepping outside our little boxes to enact positive change.
• I think dealing with differences whether they be politcal, cultural or spiritual requires understanding on a very basic human level. I don't think we get to this understanding without love. We have to care.

Just some of the pieces of my puzzle...
 Peace and Love, Krista