We have the next example of Robbie Francis of FrancisFilmworks working his filming and editing magic. Robbie was here earlier this week filming, and now we have this wonderful glimpse into life at camp. We love seeing the sweet mood of camp… so much action, so much friendship, and so many happy girls!
My favorite part is the camper yelling “I love camp!” as she flies down the zipline.
Take a look, and let us know what you think.
P.S. If you missed last week’s video, here it is.
Hiking has always been a part of Rockbrook’s culture. It’s been one of the main activities girls have enjoyed here for now more than 100 years. Our founder, Nancy Carrier, grew up in this part of western North Carolina exploring its forests, visiting its waterfalls, and climbing the nearby mountains. Being at camp, therefore, meant for her that everyone here would get to know this area, and personally experience all the beauty and wonder it offers. This meant hiking. Today still, this means getting out into the forest and walking among the large trees and immersing ourselves in its rich ecosystem.
Everyday at camp there are opportunities for girls to do a bit of hiking. One of our regular activities, WHOA, which stand for “Wilderness Hiking Outdoor Adventure,” always includes hiking, usually as short trips here on the camp property. There are two popular destinations for these hikes. The first is Rockbrook Falls. This is a multi-tiered waterfall formed by Dunn’s Creek as it tumbles down on the western part if the property. The girls follow a trail that parallels the aqueduct that carries water from Dunn’s Creek to the Rockbrook lake, eventually making it to an old bridge that’s the perfect place to view the falls.
The other popular hiking destination on the camp property is even more dramatic: Castle Rock. It’s the large outcropping of granite high above the camp, the top of which provides an awesome 180-degree view of the Blue Ridge Mountains. You can imagine, the trail leading to the top is steep and winding as it climbs about 600 feet in elevation. But it’s worth it! Generations of Rockbrook girls have hiked that steep trail to enjoy the spectacular view.
Yesterday, I took a big group of CAs (9th graders) hiking to another, more remote, part of the camp property. We hiked to find the elusive “Kilroy’s cabin,” an old, now dilapidated wooden structure, where a camp legend says a hermit lived, but tragically also died after accidentally murdering his true love, a beautiful, red-haired nurse. Intriguing, I know! It’s particularly challenging to find this cabin because now there is no trail leading to it. Instead, reaching it requires bushwhacking— crawling through bushes, ducking around trees, avoiding briars, sliding down slopes, and navigating by topography. This makes for slow going, especially with a large group, but it also means interacting more with all the rich nature around you, touching more, smelling more, and noticing so much, much more. Inevitably, this is a hike where we all get wet and muddy, sweaty and sometimes scraped up a bit. It’s both challenging and hilarious for the girls.
In addition to these hikes on the camp property, we often take campers hiking in the nearby Pisgah National Forest and Dupont State Forest. Miles of trails and scenic destinations are available in these forests, and here too, Rockbrook girls have been exploring them for years.
Today, I took the Hi-Ups (10th graders) hiking in Dupont to visit High Falls. This 150-ft tall waterfall is formed by the Little River, and is one of the largest waterfalls in the area. It’s a particularly fun destination because you can swim in the pool of water at the bottom. So we came prepared (swimsuits, water shoes and towels), and had a great time swimming up into the whitewater and even sliding down a gently sloping section of the rock. This too is an intense adventure experience, maneuvering over slick rocks, swimming through cold water, and feeling the crashing waterfall on their backs. It was also relaxing at times, just hanging out on the rocks soaking in the power of this huge waterfall.
We are fortunate to have so many wonderful hiking opportunities at Rockbrook. With so much to explore, from some of the highest peaks east of the Mississippi River to the hundreds of waterfalls nearby, it’s easy to be amazed when hiking in this area. It’s easy for Rockbrook girls to love hiking.
Greetings from the Curosty cabin! I’m Naomi, this summer’s weaving specialist. Curosty, a regional term for “know-how”, is home to our fiber arts activities with weaving and basketry taught inside, and knitting, cross stitch, embroidery, crochet, and sewing outside on the porch in another activity, Needlecraft, taught by specialist Cindy.
Stepping inside Curosty is like stepping back in time. Passing the thin, weathered log benches against each side of the door and beneath the crocheted cardinal and community frame loom, you push hard on the heavy wooden door, stiff from years of warm summers and afternoon showers. Dappled light greets you through cheerful red and white gingham curtains above the paned cottage windows, falling on the large floor looms and smaller tabletop ones waiting to be put to work by campers’ hands. Later in the day, when the sun through the branches is just right, a prism scatters the warm light into streaks of rainbows across the looms, the tables, and the campers as they work.
Years of handmade baskets, weavings, woven purses and belts decorate the ancient rough hewn walls (some still with faint markings from when the cabin was disassembled) and the perennial favorite potholders hang like festive garlands above the windows. Baskets and woven work adorn the mantlepiece of the thick stone fireplace, a spinning wheel at the ready on the hearthstone, the smoky evidence of the warmth of many years painting its interior black. You follow your ears and walk through to the back door, swinging it open to reveal the calming rush of the creek, the gurgling of cool water off the porch as sunlight casts rhododendron leaf shadows on the mossy gray rocks. Taking a seat at the glossy red benches, it’s the perfect place to sew, embroider, or crochet your way to peace.
I asked my class of Middlers the other day how they would describe Curosty. “Homey.” “Rustic.” “A fairytale cottage like the one in Little Red Riding Hood.” Smelling of “wood” and “wood shavings.” “Dust.” And “New string but dusty.” More than 200 years old, this 19th century log cabin has seen many lives. Found abandoned by Williamson Creek in Brevard, Curosty was added to Rockbrook during its fourth year in 1924. Then it was the Camp Headquarters, aka “The Q.” The August 1924 edition of the Carrier Pigeon describes the cabin:
“For more than a hundred years it withstood the forces of nature on Williamson’s Creek, just before the opening this year it was taken down, each log numbered and reassembled […] Here we hope it will stand another century, a model of the artistry with which our fathers built their pioneer homes.”
But not all is ancient and unchanged inside these well-loved walls. With such a variety of fiber crafts to make, one can never predict what new project campers invent or what is going to trend. Remember those potholders I mentioned hanging from the walls and windows? The ones that maybe you made yourself as a child? They have risen in great popularity due to the hatching of: The Chicken Club! Wanting an opportunity for the craft-loving campers to be announced for an accomplishment like those who get bullseyes in archery and riflery or bounces in tennis, we combined the skills of Curosty and Needlecraft (with a nod to our beloved feathered friends in Garden Art) to challenge campers with the task of turning potholders into chickens. A project idea found in a Klutz “Potholders & Other Loops Projects” book, campers must first weave a potholder, grab a skein of yarn to crochet a border of looped chains to keep the potholder loops from unweaving, fold their potholder in half into a triangle, and then crochet the sides closed for stuffing by “jumping” the loops of each layer through one another. Then campers are free to put their unique spin on their creations, bringing their chickens to life with tails, feet, wings, combs, and the fan favorite, googly eyes!
After one chicken, made all on their own, campers officially become part of “The Coop.” But campers are not stopping at one chicken, oh no. Five chickens and they earn the title of “Farmer” in honor of founder Nancy Carrier’s father, Henry P. Clarke, known in his time as a “gentleman farmer.” Ten chickens and they’ll be dubbed “Poultry Prince,” “Princess,” or “Regent,” earning a tiny chicken charm. So far this session we have two Farmers in our midst — senior camper Toby and Hi-Up Ty — pecking their way to poultry royalty.
Fair weather or fowl, campers are flocking to Curosty to see what everyone’s clucking about!
By Naomi Penner and Melody Parish
After our late night 4th of July fireworks show yesterday, a crew of girls and their counselors woke up early this morning to go on a whitewater rafting trip at the Nantahala River. It was a 6:30am wake up and 7am departure event for us. A quick bowl of cereal and some yogurt still left most everyone pretty groggy for the drive over. It’s about a 2-hour drive to the river, which gave folks a chance to doze in the bus. When we arrived, our Rockbrook guides had the equipment staged and ready, so the girls could hop out of the bus, apply some sunscreen and gear up with their PFDs, paddles and white helmets.
The weather was perfect for rafting. The morning fog burned off to bright, bright sun, which felt great compared to the cold, cold water of the Nantahala. There were six boats in the crew this morning. They bopped and bumped down the river, navigating around the rocks to follow the best lines through the rapids. The river alternates between fun splashy whitewater and more calm stretches where the girls can chat and mess around in the boats. There’s always a discussion of some sort happening… maybe about the river, or about what pose to make for the camera, or just the regular banter of camp friends having fun together.
The last rapid is where the most intense action happens. It’s a class III rapid called the “Nantahala Falls” and is a fun double drop that is guaranteed to bounce around your boat, and even toss out a person or two. Today, we had a couple swimmers, but after the excitement of being in the water, they were easily pulled back into their boats.
The whole crew enjoyed a picnic lunch with the second (afternoon) rafting group that arrived from camp right on time. Our excellent weather held nicely throughout the afternoon, making this second trip also a great success. Rafting is really an ideal summer camp activity. It’s exciting, a little adventurous, highly social, cool on a hot summer day, and very fun every time you do it, whether it’s your first or your fifth time. Everyone, guides and campers alike, had a great time on the water today.
Yes, the experience of rafting is fun, but I think there’s an even deeper benefit to be gained from it, something that can serve as a life lesson of sorts, or at least a moment when an insight can be realized. There’s a hint of it during the pre-trip safety talk Ruby, the head guide, gives to everyone. She says things like, “everyone in your boat has to power to save anyone who falls out. Yes, even you can save your guide!” She explains how this is done too, how a small girl can grab the PFD of the guide and pull that adult back into the boat. Yes, this has happened (pretty often!), much to the amazement of the girls involved.
There are a couple of possible lessons here:
Despite this being a risky activity (someone might fall out), we can manage the risk and still carry on. We have good equipment, protocols and techniques that we trust will work if needed. Knowing these, we can be more confident when facing this particular risk. Instead of not rafting, instead of shrinking away from it because it’s a little scary or uncertain, we can rely on expertise and even our own nerve in a situation. Like many times in life when we’re afraid of what might happen, there are probably steps we can take to reduce the risks at hand. There is probably more we can learn and concrete things we can do to reduce the likelihood of something undesirable happening. Experiences like this help kids grow more confident in situations they find scary. These camp moments prove they can manage those feelings and still more forward.
Related to this is another lesson. Rescuing someone, pulling them back into the boat or reaching out to a swimmer using your paddle, proves to these girls, “you’re more powerful than you think.” This is another one of my phrases I use to encourage kids. I think they need to be reminded of this as much as possible. After all, so much of their experience is the opposite. They’re often told, explicitly or implicitly, they’re “just kids.” Grownups do so much for them, ostensibly because they need help. They’re not allowed to do so many things, apparently because they’re unable to “handle it.” Taken too far, kids can become kind of helpless, always looking for an adult to do things for them, soon believing they’re incapable of “taking care of it” on their own. Rafting is different. Here they’re told “we’re counting on you to save people,” “here’s how you do it,” and “you can do it.” And they do! So for rafting, instead of assuming “I can’t,” there’s proof that you can.
This is a great thing for kids to learn. Even if they’re not always successful, I think it’s a good habit to feel empowered in situations, and to know that you can learn how to handle things, even those that seem scary. The lesson is to learn more in those situations and to manage risks as well as possible, and with good reasons, to lean in. My hope is that Rockbrook girls learn some of these lessons. I hope they can remember they’re more powerful than they think.
Camp is always a place of celebration, but since today was the 4th of July, we had another reason to kick things up a bit and make the day special.
It started right away, even a bit before the rising bell, when eight riding staff members, dressed in their best red, white and blue, rode horses up into camp. They had the horses painted and dressed as well. On cue, they rode up and down the cabin lines yelling “The British are coming! Wake up! Wake up!” (a reference to Paul Revere’s ride in April of 1775). Hoofbeats in the morning! Hearing all this and still dressed in their pajamas, the girls stumbled out onto the hill for a flag raising ceremony led by the Hi-Ups. Everyone also recited the Pledge of Allegiance and sleepily sang “America the Beautiful.”
At breakfast, the campers were met by a second blast of red, white and blue decorations. The dining hall had streamers, posters (one read, “We love Betsy Ross!”) and ribbons hung in every direction. We set out red, white and blue head bands, stickers, glitter and temporary tattoos on all the tables. It seemed like most of the campers were happy to take advantage of the tattoos! Combined with their own festive costumes and accessories, we had a shockingly patriotic color scheme going on. Singing in the dining hall picked up the theme too, with the girls belting out versions of “Yankee Doodle,” “Your a Grand Old Flag,” and Katy Perry’s “Firework.”
The day was mostly filled with the girls attending their regular activities. Flashes of red, white and blue appeared all around camp— climbing the alpine tower, weaving baskets in the creek, shooting riflery, and riding horses at the riding center, for example. The muffin flavor of the day was “Firework Funfetti.” During the first free swim time before lunch, about 30 or so counselors and campers ran a 2-mile course around camp: the “Firecracker Run.” Also during that free swim period, the lifeguards held a greased watermelon relay race. The team that won enjoyed cracking open the watermelon and eating it afterwards.
We served dinner on the hill, a yummy supper of Rick’s barbecue chicken (and tempeh), homemade potato salad, coleslaw, and watermelon. We don’t ordinarily serve soft drinks at camp, but for tonight’s special occasion we offered the girls each a can of Cheerwine, kept cold in the creek in front of the Goodwill cabin. For dessert it was blondie cookie bars with red, white and blue (again!) icing decoration.
The evening event was hilarious— an all-camp color run and slip-n-slide! This had the girls change into their swimsuits and come down to the grassy landsports field. There, the counselors set up an obstacle course that challenged the girls to run through the course while having colorful powder thrown at you. Of course, the real goal was to be hit by the colored powder and get messy. For the slip-n-slide, our property manager Richie brought over a firetruck (He’s the Assistant Chief of our fire district.) and used the hose to keep everything wet and slippery. We had music playing, which added to the wild and crazy feeling of the event. You’ve never seen such exuberance! One camper told me, “I love this!” Being that messy, laughing that hard, slipping and sliding with friends… it was a one of a kind experience.
As night fell, the finale of the day was our own fireworks show. Casey was ready with glow sticks for all the girls and a fun playlist of music to blast during the show. For the next 30 minutes, we all enjoyed another dance party, as the girls twirled their glow sticks, sang along to the music and cheered with every sparkling blast in the air.
It’s hard to beat a day like this with so much celebration, with one exciting surprise after another. When you have all these great people having this much crazy fun, I can’t think of a better way to spend the 4th of July.
Everybody knows that Sundays are different. They’re probably different for you, and they’re different at camp too. Instead of our regular activities, we have several all-camp events. This provides a nice reset, a chance to celebrate our community values all together, dress up, and of course have some silly fun.
It starts by sleeping in! Yes, on Sundays everyone gets an extra hour of sleep, waking up at 9am instead of 8. This feels great, and usually is very welcome after the past week of solid adventure and activity. It takes kids a day or two after arriving to settle down, but for the most part, people sleep really well here at camp… “Best sleep of my life!” one teenage camper told me. Maybe it’s the fresh air or perhaps our days filled with things that exercise all our senses, but when it’s time for rest, Rockbrook girls know how to rest!
Right after waking up, everyone skips their cabin chores and comes to the dining hall in their PJs (and wearing a cozy sweatshirt to block the morning chill). We enjoyed a regular breakfast of eggs and sausage, cereal, fruit and yogurt, but had a special treat of glazed doughnuts as well.
For the last few days, we’ve experienced a typical summer weather pattern for this area. Waking up, it’s cool and foggy, with everything outside feeling a little damp. Then by the time muffin break rolls around mid-morning, the fog has burned off to reveal crisp, bright, warm sunshine and our gorgeous distant mountain view. About rest hour time, the skies darken and we often hear thunder in the distance. And like today, we have a storm roll through that soaks us for about 20 minutes before moving on. Once past, we’re back in action.
By the way, you can always check our Rockbrook weather station if you are curious about what’s happening at camp.
After breakfast, once everyone had changed into their camp uniforms, the Hi-Ups led everyone in a flag raising ceremony on the hill. Everyone looked sharp in the bright morning sun, and in their red and white.
The chapel theme today was “Friendship.” “Chapel” is not a religious service at Rockbrook. Instead, it’s a time for the girls to settle down a bit, and think about one of the core aspects of camp life, our camp values, and our time together as a camp community. Past themes include: honesty, kindness, trust, generosity, nature, and community. The girls take turns contributing to the program, reading poems or other quotes, singing songs, and sometimes simply saying what the theme means to them. Sarah usually reads a children’s book. Today she read, “The Invisible Boy,” a story about a boy who gets left out at school, but when a new child arrives at school finds a way to be friends. She asked, “Do you know anyone at camp who might be feeling invisible? What can you do to help people make friends?”
Sunday afternoons means a surprise special event. Today we had a camp-wide scavenger hunt followed by a square dance in the gym. This was a “Gold Rush,” where cabin groups roamed about camp trying to find hidden gold coins. The girls were looking all over, under and around everything in camp, doing their best to collect as many coins as possible. But there were bandits too, people who could approach a cabin and demand all of the gold the group had collected! If the cabin group could answer a trivia question correctly, they could keep their gold. There were prizes to be won for the group with the most gold, and a special prize for finding the “Golden Nugget.”
To round out the afternoon, there was a square (!) dance held in the gym. With Hi-Ups and counselors calling out patterns and demonstrating different moves, we played fun country dance music like the Virginia Slide and the Boot Scootin’ Boogie, as well as some traditional bluegrass. The girls came dressed in their favorite western wear, flannel bandanas and boots. It think there were at least a dozen pink cowboy hats. It was a little wild when “swing your partner” became swing anyone, but it was active and fun. We clapped along to the music, laughed and smiled, and enjoyed ourselves letting loose a bit. All good healthy camp fun.
These blog posts are meant to convey a bit about what it’s like here at camp, newsy things like special events happening, and a little about why we do what we do. We know that if you’re not here at camp with us, it’s very difficult to understand what it feels like to be a camper at Rockbrook. There’s just too much to glean. The online photo gallery helps, but there’s always more.
Fortunately, we have some video as well. We’re happy to say Robbie Francis of FrancisFilmworks is again working with us this summer to produce short videos each session. He came to camp on Thursday this week and now has a short video ready for you to see.
Take a look! But also listen for the laughter, the sound of the bell, splashes into the lake, the whir of the pottery wheel, and the joyful din of the dining hall.
Enjoy!
The girls at Rockbrook select their regular daily activities after they arrive at camp. Twice a week they are presented with options that rotate through the different age groups, sharing the arts, adventure, and sports activities. From these options they select 4 activities to try for the 3 days, before selecting a new set. Of course there are more options than there is time to try them all, so selecting can sometimes be tough. Choosing any four means not selecting all those others.
There are two exceptions to this: horseback riding and ziplining. Girls sign up for horseback riding by discussing their interest and experience with our Riding Directors Kelsi and Brittany on opening day. And once assigned to a regular lesson, a girl can keep that lesson time all session long. So for example, she might ride during first period 5 days a week, or just a couple of days a week, depending on interest. For some girls, riding is so central to their daily schedule, they get a lot of exercise walking up and down and through the tunnel to the riding center.
Ziplining is different too because we know that almost every girl wants to take a ride through the course. For this reason we schedule every cabin a time slot during their session. It’s not required that girls zipline, but this way we can make sure everyone gets a chance.
Between these activity periods are blocks of free time, three in particular: right before lunch (1st “free swim”), before dinner (2nd “free swim”) and immediately after dinner (“twilight”). Heading to the lake during the free swim times is a great way to cool off in the middle of the day, especially if you’ve been doing something active in the morning like climbing, horseback riding, or tennis. It’s when the waterslide is open as well, making free swim times even more inviting.
The two different tetherball courts at camp are almost always in motion. It only takes a couple of minutes to play a quick game, or to just hit a bit, and just two people are needed to play. When there’s more than two, the girls take turns challenging the winner of each match.
Gagaball is more fun with a larger group of kids. It’s a version of dodgeball where everyone is inside an octagonal court. A single ball bounces around, being hit, not caught, by the players. The goal is to avoid letting the ball hit you. If it does, you’re out and the remaining players continue to play. The last person still in wins.
A new ball game available for the girls during their free time is called “9 square in the air.” This is a game that also takes a large group of kids. The game happens under a structure making a grid of 9 squares (about 3×3) above your head. Each person stands under a square. Like volleyball, you play by hitting a large ball out of your square and into another’s square. If a person misses, hits twice, or doesn’t hit the ball into another square they are out and a new person rotates in. It’s a fun group game.
Campers can also spend their free time down in the gym playing basketball. Another option is meeting a friend at the tennis courts to hit for a while.
The after dinner “twilight” period is a wonderful golden hour time when many campers like to hang out and play on the hill. Some bring out their crazy creek chairs to sit and read, work on friendship bracelets tied to their water bottles, or just talk while watching the sun slowly set in the distant mountains. Playing in the creek by Curosty is a popular option too. That might mean building a dam of sorts from small rocks and mud, or racing flip flops down the length of the creek.
During these free time periods, you’ll always find girls sitting in the many red rocking chairs found on all the porches around camp as well. Clustered in groups of two or three, they are comfortable place to hang out and chat with friends.
And finally, these blocks of free time are the perfect opportunity to grab a quick shower. You can count on the tankless water heaters getting a work out before each meal and after dinner at camp.
Having this amount of free time built into our daily camp schedule is intentional. We know kids are often highly scheduled at home, zipping from school to sports, music lessons and the like, and so making sure there’s time at camp to do what they want, even if it’s just hanging out, is a very good thing. It’s another way we give girls a chance to make decisions for themselves. They get to decide, not someone else, how to spend their free time.
Giving kids control over how they spend their time, in a place where electronic entertainment is absent, helps teach them that the world is marvelous on its own. There are interesting people to play with and talk too. There are wonderful things to see and activities to try. There’s always something new to experience if you just pay attention and engage. Most likely different from home, camp free time is rich.
It’s a phrase I’ve used for quite some time now. Instead of “see ya later,” say after a brief conversation, I’ll say, “Be kind. Be silly. Be brave.” It’s a bit of unsolicited advice I think can serve someone well as they go on to face their day. I’ll say it dropping off my daughter at school, and around here at camp, I’ll say it to a group of girls as they head off down the hill to free swim, or after lunch heading toward their cabin for rest hour. It’s an encouragement to be “great,” but with three different, more specific, ways to do that.
I like this phrase, in other words, because it pinpoints different ways that kids can lean into things, to be positive and open to the people and world around them. This is important, I believe, because each of these traits has real benefits when applied. Especially for kids, young people who are developing socially and emotionally, being more kind, silly and brave can help them be happier, more true to themselves, and more effective in the world. Over a lifetime, I’d even go so far as to say that these traits are instrumental in having healthy relationships of all kinds and ultimately more lasting satisfaction in life.
These are points of encouragement, needed reminders, because they take effort. It’s just easier to be the opposite. So without trying, people can too easily veer off toward being self-absorbed, too serious and perfectionistic, and afraid of everything that’s unfamiliar or challenging. You can see how that would be an unpleasant way to live, and would be an unpleasant person to be around. Likewise, wanting the best for our kids, we’d like them to be more kind, silly and brave.
A few years back, I wrote a post about how Rockbrook encourages girls to be kind, silly and brave. I tried to show how camp life provides regular opportunities for us to develop these aspects of our personality. Rockbrook’s philosophy, its culture and emphasis on community and friendship are what powers this development. Acting on these values colors what we do here. It makes the fun of camp more formative and beneficial.
The importance of kindness and its link to happiness is clear, and the value of bravery is generally understood, but what about silliness? Is there something inherently good or a clear benefit to being silly? I think there is. Of course, there are times when being serious is important too, when a particular outcome is needed for example (“a job to do!”), but there are many situations when a cultivated sense of silliness will add to the experience.
We know that’s true at camp! We know that everything’s better when wearing a costume, or when singing— the more off key the better —at the top of our lungs. Skipping down the hill is better than walking. Dancing while doing chores makes the work more fun. Being playful, quick to smile and laugh, like Buddy in the movie Elf, injects a special exuberance into anything, even the most mundane routine. Being silly means giving yourself permission to let loose a little bit, to be joyfully creative, whimsical, lighthearted and open to the humor in things. This is the color of most things at camp, and the way we like to be!
Besides making things more fun and funny, there’s another important benefit to being silly. It helps you feel more comfortable with who you are. Silliness helps reduce the pressure kids often feel when they see things as serious, formal, or measured. Turning down the heat of expectations and opening up some space for silliness, allows the real you to participate. There’s a real freedom in laughter and being goofy. And when there’s no judgment of being silly, no worry about what someone might say, it’s a real boost to a young person’s self-confidence and creativity. It’s liberating and fun.
For adults, we might feel a little embarrassed to bust out a twitchy dance move on the subway, for example, but if you do, it’ll be the real you. And I bet it’ll feel good. It’s the same for these camp girls— it feels really good to be silly and at the same time feel supported as their true selves.
So, reminding someone to be silly, is like giving them a license to be their true self. It’s saying, “You be you; you’ll enjoy it.” Yes, that’s a lot easier at camp where people will cheer for your wacky costume, but it’s still true out in the “real world” for adults and kids alike. Maybe we should all be a little more silly more often.
