I had an old lacrosse coach who preached “The Lunch Bag” mentality in life. “Life is like a lunch bag,” he would say, “you’ll only get out of it what you put into it.”
If that’s the case, I’ll be receiving plenty of Mucinex, DayQuil, and Tamiflu in the coming days.
It has been a sick few weeks in our house. It has been a challenging few weeks. Maybe you’re in a similar boat. Snow days are fun. Two weeks with only two days of school for a 6th grader might make a parent go insane.
Having kids has been the most challenging experience of my life. I don’t say that to complain. I know there are so many who long for the experience of parenthood, and I hope and pray that those who want, shall receive.
Yet amid the challenge of saying no to screen time, the sleep-deprived days, and the many lapses of patience, the experiences of a three-month-old, a three-year-old, and a 6th grader remain the most rewarding adventures of my life.
I’ve been contemplating the relationship between challenge and reward a good bit recently. Not only in my personal life, but it’s a question we always pose in interviews with our staff.
“Teacher. Nurse. Parent. Camp Counselor. What do all these have in common?” I ask a confused college student over Zoom.
They are difficult jobs, but they are jobs that can and will transform all those involved for the better. They are lunch bag jobs. You get out of them what you put in.
From a director’s perspective, it’s not much different. Camp is a challenge. Getting all the pieces in the right place: food, beds, activities, campers, staff, vehicles, boats, buildings, and more. In the summer, I go to bed basking in the miracle that is camp, that nearly 300 girls can exist in such a beautiful and joyful environment. It’s not a miracle, however. It’s work. It’s an effort. It’s a team of awesome people I get to work with who are diligently taking care of business.
Like parenting, being a camp counselor, or anything in life that requires a bit of elbow grease, the challenge will be oh-so-worth it.
Cheers to the sunny, laughter-filled days ahead with not a drop of Nyquil in sight.
Cheers to the Summer of 2026!
Lucas