It’s Valentine’s Day and love is in the air! For many camp folks though, mid-February signals the beginning of “crunch time” in the countdown to summer. After a leisurely paced winter, February sneaks up on us and suddenly it can feel like Orientation Week is right around the corner!
During the sometimes stressful months right before summer, how can we keep the feeling of love alive and remember why we’re passionate about working in the camp industry?
Positive psychology research continues to find that practicing gratitude supports greater overall happiness. Keeping a gratitude journal can also help with positivity, self-esteem, perspective, and reducing stress.
After learning this, I decided to start listing all the things I’m grateful for that relate to working at camp, and plan to continue adding to this “love list” during the busy months leading up to summer. I’m posting my list at my desk for daily motivation, and look forward to hearing even more “reasons to love camp” from you all!
P.S. If you need ideas to jumpstart your list, here’s what mine is starting with:
- I love working at camp because I love being outdoors
- I love having a job that makes a difference
- I’m grateful to not have to cook my own food/do dishes during the summer
- I’m grateful for the friendships and connections through the camp community
- I’m grateful that my job pushes me to grow and be creative
- I love that every day is different and never boring
- I’m grateful to be part of something bigger
Annie Ramsbotham
Falling Creek Camp
