Fantasy vs. Reality

Chippewa at sunrise...after a brilliantly clear evening...

Just like last week, I am definitely still in my camp spirit. There's just something about that magical place that seems to stick with us Chippewa campers wherever we go, especially after spending a mere few hours with one another.

Last night, as I was walking Loreli (my family's dog) around the house before bed, I took a second to glance up at the stars. The ski was as clear as could be and the mooning shone bright emanated such a light that it seemed to simply brush away any problem. As reassuring as this may sound, it simply did not compare to the view stars and moon that could be seen from nearly anywhere within Chippewa's boundaries on a clear night. At camp, the stars on a clear night are infinite and the moon, as it reflects on the lake, is brighter and creates more warmth than any sun. A knot quickly formed within my stomach. I longed to be back at camp.

I remained outside for another good few minutes, breathing in the cool air. I looked up at the stars time and time again but something puzzled me. As much as I love my house, where I reside for most of the year, it doesn't have the same beauty as camp, especially that darn night sky. I can't quite understand, however, why exactly that is though. There's just something about camp. My reality is that camp is beautiful and that there are millions of stars in the sky on a clear night, but is that just because camp is a special place for me?

Throughout the rest of the night, I could not get this simple question out of my head. Camp is a special place for me, but if someone else, a random stranger, were to look up at the sky on a clear night from Chippewa Ranch Camp, would they see the same beauty that I do? Or is this just a fantasy to me because camp resonates so much with me? I simply couldn't answer this so I posed this same question to another Chippy, my best friend. She saw the same sky that I did and didn't even think to question it because this is our reality. There was no one else for me to ask. If I asked any other person from camp, they would have the same answer, but I don't know anyone that is not part of the Chippewa community that has seen a night quite like the one I've been dreaming about.

Sometimes, there is no fine line between fantasy and reality. The two seem to blur together. Distinguishing them can be nearly impossible. Is my reality a mere fantasy? Is my greatest fantasy actually a reality? It's nearly 2 AM and I'm still pondering this. My problem is that I don't know anything but this, my reality. Is it actually real though? There's no way to answer this question. It would take me millions of blog posts to even try. How we chose to answer it is not always what's important; what we choose to believe is.

Closer to Home

Just a typical day at Chippewa Ranch Camp...

For the past 5 summers (holy cow! That seems like such a long time), I have attended Chippewa Ranch Camp, an all-girls summer camp in the North Woods of Wisconsin. To say that I have grown attached to the wonderful place would be a complete understatement. I have not only grown incredibly fond of Chippewa, but it has become a necessary aspect of my life, my home away from home. The bonds I have created with not only my 20 sisters (cabin mates-my whole age group), but the rest of the Chippewa community are of infinite value to me.

Around this time each year, a reunion is held by the camp directors to give the campers and staff an opportunity to, for lack of a better word, reunite. This special event was held today. This year, however, was a very different experience for my age group. We no longer just attended the all camp reunion, but we also were given the privilege of attending the staff lunch, as well. For the past few weeks, my age group has anxiously awaited this gathering, and today, when it finally arrived, it was surprisingly...normal. The feel was different and we had made a strange transition from the oldest campers to the youngest staff members.

When I arrived at lunch with one of my cabin buds, several other members of my cabin were thankfully already there and welcomed us with open arms. Not only that, but the rest of the staff was quite friendly. as well. We all just meshed well together. I didn't feel awkward or uncomfortable and even joked around with a few of the older staff members about being co's this summer. All of my fears and agitations for the summer ahead seemed to fade away as I chowed down on appetizers and pizzas galore. After about an hour, we piled into the cars of the older staff and jammed out to the radio as we headed to the location of all Chippewa reunions, big and small: Michael's in Highland Park.

Once we arrived, my cabin dispersed to mingle with other chippies but then came back together about 2 minutes later because we really wanted more food (typical). We took a cabin trip to a new gelato place (Frost-I highly recommend it) and ate not only our ice cream but each other's, too. After returning to Michael's, we actually talked to other campers and friends. Everything seemed a little bit different, but not awkward. We had younger campers running circles around our feet and when it was time to head over to the theatre for the day's main event (the annual screening of the Chippewa movie), our age group was given an actual task. We were the "quieters".

At the moment we arrived at the theatre, campers seemed to be piling in after us. We quickly realized that it was not the younger ones we truly needed to look out for but the rowdy older camper, even girls within my own age group. We laughed about how this was the coolest job ever and eventually headed into the theatre ourselves. Following tradition, before the movie, all of the staff formed a "line" at the front of the theatre to introduce ourselves and inform the campers of whom was returning for the summer ahead. It feels like yesterday that I was a naive camper, watching the staff and cheering for my counselors. As I stood in line with my friends and introduced myself to campers, many of whom I already knew, I was over whelmed with a sense of nostalgia. As great as the day and the idea of being a staff member was, I would still give anything to be sitting back in the audience. Thankfully, my age group and I piled into a row to laugh, cry, and applaud during this summer's film.

Leaving today was the hardest part. Although I hadn't gone all the way back to Chippewa, today was close enough. As my friends and I hugged it out and said our goodbyes, I had to fight back the tears. Of course we all stay in touch and I talk to many at least once a week, I hate when he have to depart. Throughout out the rest of the day, although my body has been here, my mind has been else where, at my home away from home.

For more info on this wonderful place, check out the website: http://chippewaranchcamp.com/