5 Things Marimeta Has Taught Us

Some of us have camp friends that date all the way back to cabin 1, some of us joined us years later. However, these friends are no more near and dear to our hearts than the ones who joined us a few summers later. At Marimeta, we treasure our old and our new friends by including new campers while also looking back on great memories we have made throughout our summers.

At the first campfire, it is tradition for Sandy to read his favorite motivational poem: Don’t Quit. It starts off, “When things go wrong as they sometimes will…” and continues to inspire readers to keep on persevering, even when the going gets tough. Whether it is the frustration we feel when we cannot get around the lake skiing, or feeling upset due to a camper’s actions, we must not quit. Tough experiences remind us of this poem that has been reiterated in our minds from past summers. Using this poem to motivate us, we never give up.

We have learned that sometimes, we must forgive and forget no matter how hard that may be. We have learned that when we forgive we heal, and when we let go, we grow. Forgiveness is a very hard skill to master, but at camp we have learned to not sweat the small stuff, and forgive the mistakes of our summer sisters.

We have heard this golden rule throughout our lives however, it truly comes into play at camp. If we want to be treated with respect and kindness by our peers and counselors, we too must also carry these traits with us around camp.

Sometimes, there are topics we need to talk about face-to-face. At home, we have technology to hinder our ability to talk out our problems. In not having devices to hide behind, we can have face-to-face conversations that are kind, thoughtful, and genuine. We can get to know our friends better, we can resolve issues better, and we can hold a conversation better in practicing this skill.