I played a lot as a kid. I played inside with Legos and built forts out of pillows and blankets. I played outside in the yard or down by the creek near our house. Don’t get me wrong, I watched a lot of TV too, but playing is what I remember most. As an adult, I find it hard to play as much as I did as a child. I have two daughters (Harper, 7 ½; Quinn, almost 4) and they draw me into play as much as they can, but sometimes I need to fold the laundry or mow the lawn. I think that’s a big reason why I love being the Director at Camp Kanata. Play is a REQUIRED part of my role. Someone needs to test out the water slide and fill in that last square in 9 Square in the Air.
My favorite place to play, now that I’m a grown-up, is in the outdoors. My Dad helped me understand and love nature as a kid. He taught me the names of flowers, trees, birds, insects, and animals we would see as we walked or hiked a trail. He taught me how to catch crawdads (though I’m still not very good at it). He put me in a canoe before I could walk and taught me over the years how to paddle from one point to another across a lake or river.
Now that I’m a Dad I’m trying to do the same for my girls. We haven’t done much canoeing yet but, when we do, I find my worries evaporate and my heartrate slows. I can talk to my girls out on the water because it’s quiet and I’ve left my phone on the shore. When I’m out on the water I think, “I should do this more often.” Then I get back to shore to the notifications on my phone and the next task of the day, and I forget to fulfill that fleeting promise to myself.
Which brings me to the blog that I'm inviting you to read. We all need a moment “on the lake” from time-to-time. A time to breathe, reflect, and think. My hope is that through this platform, we can share ideas that spark creativity, support you and your family in your Camp journey, and provide resources for parents who are doing the best they can with the dozens of daily demands (including laundry and lawn mowing) on their plates.
My hope is that we can have a little fun and play together along the way as well.
Until next time...
Ryan Eves
Camp Director