Expectedly Unexpected!

Camp life is always exciting.

     You really never know what is going to happen. I think that is what I love most about it. As a counselor, it manifested itself through the spur of the moment talks with campers that led to a personal spiritual decision. Possible a camper who has an attitude and causes you to miss the funniest game of the week. Or that camper that suddenly tells you she is not feeling good and you instinctively grab the trash can just in time to catch her vomit, that would have gone everywhere seeing as how she chose a top bunk. Then sitting out on the porch as you force her to drink sprite. Seriously, what kid doesn't like drinking soda? Apparently, there are a few. Yep, you just never know what is going to happen.
     Strangely enough, I have found that you find this phenomenon even more in the registrar position. Probably because you deal with a lot of people and people are unpredictable. Ya, I have heard some crazy things talking on the phone with parents.

"My child wanted coffee, can you give them these coffee and donuts?" 

"What is the code to see pictures?" (It is on the back of the paper we gave you ma'am, on the website, on emails, and on my voicemail. But, I understand that it is difficult to find.) 

"My child is terrified of sleeping on the top bunk. Can we reserve a bed?"

"My child has to have ice cream to take her morning medicine with."

"My child wants to request a cabin. Not a cabin-mate. No, she really wants a particular cabin, the one she had last year. Can you do that for us?" 

     Yep, some you love, some you never want to call again, and then some you hang up the phone asking, "what just happened?" I was pretty prepared for just about everything the night of registration, except for what really happened.
     Registration had gone well, it had some kinks but it went well. Jamie and I packed everything up brought to the office and began our Sunday evening ritual of inputting transactions, account reconciliation, report running and putting away every thing until next week. I knew it was going to be late night in the office but I had no idea how late! Naturally we began by making a pot of Coffee. A few minute into our venture we were greeted by a smiling face. A Camper Parent had wandered into the office and began to chat with us while waiting on her daughter. What happened next is hard do tell. It could be due to simple fact that it was past my bed time and I couldn't concentrate. It could be that the coffee hadn't kicked in, whatever it was, I am not sure. All I know is that by the end of the evening I was thinking, "What just happened?"

"Apparently there is nothing that cannot happen today."-Mark Twain 

      From the moment she walked in, she had a smile on her face and perky voice. We smiled back and found out she was here to ask her daughter a question. We waited with her, making small talk until her daughter and her counselor walked into the room. For a few moments the mother talked to her daughter, then bragged on her and it was obvious that she really cared for her. The five of us sat in the office for about 5 minutes, chatting. Before long the camper and counselor had to leave to get back to the cabin. To be honest it was a neat experience for me, since the camper had been in my cabin last year. It was neat to see her again and see how she was doing.
      I can't remember exactly what happened next but I know I offered the mother some coffee, which she gratefully took as soon as she grabbed her coffee cup from the car. I feel like it was one of those moments in the movie, you know where the main characters are trying to hide something or do something important in secret and a unexpected visitor shows up but won't leave. The main characters smile, nod and join in the conversation while standing in front of whatever they are trying to hide. They engage the visitor so as not to bring on suspicion, yet they don't encourage more conversation. Every time they think the visitor is going to leave and starts walking towards the door, the visitor remembers something else they want to say. The main characters start relax every time the guest walks towards the door, but are jerked back into a state of worry when they realize they haven't really left. Throw in some diagrams written on scrap paper and you have our evening.
     She talked, we listened trying to type here and there. She took some coffee and talked some more. She drew a diagram and talked some more. Every once in a while we would think she was about to leave but nope, she had more to say. She was pleasant, a really nice lady. If I was more awake during that time I might have gleaned some wisdom from her chattering, but alas, I was in haze. By the time she did leave, I was in such a state that I didn't know when people were coming in going. All I knew was something strange had just happened.

Parents will never cease to throw me into shock...