There’s a word you’re likely to hear when people describe their camp experience, a word I’ve heard from teenage campers, staff members and adult camp alumni alike. It’s “magical.” When trying to convey how special camp is to them, how extraordinary it feels to simply be at camp, they’ll talk about the “magic of camp” or that “camp magic.”
Yes, camp life is marvelous. It’s awesome, amazing, fantastic. It’s so much better than the “mundane world,” with everything having a little something extra, some power or spirit. That’s why camp friends are your closest, camp sunsets more beautiful, muffins more delicious, being silly more hilarious, and feelings of belonging more genuine. Camp life reveals a magical quality in even the simplest things, enlivening our days wonderfully.
But how does it do that? The sunsets, muffins, and the excitement of a rafting trip are probably pretty similar to what can be found elsewhere. There’s probably nothing material that would make camp life distinctly better than non-camp examples.
So what makes it magical? If there’s something profoundly different about camp life that fills it with amazing people, flashes of beauty, moments of wonder, and surprising feelings of deep happiness, then how?
Here’s an idea.
I believe camp provides the conditions where we can notice what’s been there all along. In other words, the magic is already here; we just don’t see it in our ordinary daily lives. Camp doesn’t have a special power to create magic. Rather, it inspires us simply to become more aware of subtle qualities always available in the world around us.
Rockbrook proves that everyone is a potential friend. It shows us how the briefest encounter with the natural world is wonder-full. Here, conversations are driven by curiosity rather than criticism. Camp days are filled by doing things in the real world, exercising all our senses. Here, what might seem ordinary or routine comes alive with new details, chances to learn and create.
That’s the power of camp, how it’s magical. It encourages a “receptive awareness” that reveals the magical quality of things. By lifting kindness up as its highest ideal, it helps us be generous and see beyond ourselves. By giving us a break from the fast-paced demands of work and school, camp helps us slow down and notice the beautiful details in most things. By being a tech-free environment, it liberates us from a worldview limited to algorithms and sensationalism. By encouraging silliness and play, camp teaches us how to be comfortable with who we are. By establishing a truly supportive community, it draws us closer to the people around us. In the outside world, each of these might require a deliberate choice, but they are built right into our camp life… making it yes, magical.
So let’s celebrate the power of camp to tune our awareness, and perhaps reveal the magic in things long after the summer ends.