Towering Pines Blog

Sometimes I look up!

It has been a beautiful first week so far at Towering Pines Camp for boys! Sunny blue skies have been broken up by the occasional TP dew and picturesque towering clouds. Here in Wisconsin, you can only see those big puffy towers in the summer, and it’s one thing about this time of year that I love. Each season has its own unique beauty, but it is easy to miss those little details. Things move so quickly that one really needs to be deliberate about slowing down and enjoying everything that camp has to offer. I try to do that with my camera, from time to time, so that I can share some of it with you!

Sometimes I look down.

You may have noticed that we keep careful visual records of the action here at camp. You can view every shot over at our smugmug page or you can follow our facebook page for the casual glimpse of camp life, so I try to use my time on the digital soapbox to bring you some unique photos that maybe offer a different perspective. I like to think that is important.

Camp can be the greatest place in the world, but it can also be tough. It’s all a matter of your perspective. It’s something I tell the guys when they start feeling down: camp is the original social medium. We live together, we work together, we eat together, and we play together. This arrangement provides many chances to learn and grow (and no shortage of inside jokes), but the downside of such concentrated living is that it is also easier to lose sight of the big picture.

A friendly amphibian

Camp is not the whole world, but it can feel like little things are bigger than they should be. So my cure for those moments of conflict or homesickness or being just plain tired is to slow down. Maybe I’ll find a photogenic dragonfly or spring peeper and look at the world through my macro lens. Or maybe I’ll lie down in the crash boat while the regatta timer winds down just to get a better view of the marbled cerulean sky. Like Grandpa Jordan used to say: don’t do something, just sit there; doing nothing can be something.

Michael P. got a new perspective on one of our new boats!

Whatever I do, I try to remember that life is made up of a lot of little moments. Difficult moments can seem like they mean everything, but unless you take the time to put them into perspective, they don’t mean much of anything. Things don’t always go smoothly, but they are just part of the bigger picture and story that is camp life. Part of our job as counselors is to help guys put things into perspective. Children don’t do this as easily as adults do (not that it is easy for adults either!), they may need to borrow some patience and experience from their elders to make the most of every moment and to make it a good story. That’s what we are here for.

So, if you are feeling like you need a change of perspective, stop on by. I’ll keep offering interesting or different views to help you fill out that bigger picture.