If I were any better.....

       Every morning at camp our director, Mrs. Anne, says some words of wisdom for us to reflect on for the day. Everyone has their favorites, I have 2 or 3 that I look forward to listening to each year. One of those is the story of Jerry that we heard this morning, which is all about attitude.




Jerry is the kind of guy you love to hate. He is always in a good mood and always has something positive to say. When someone would ask him how he was doing, he would reply, "If I were any better, I would be twins!" He was a unique manager because he had several waiters who had followed him around from restaurant to restaurant. The reason the waiters followed Jerry was because of his attitude. He was a natural motivator. If an employee was having a bad day, Jerry was there telling the employee how to look on the positive side of the situation.

Seeing this style really made me curious, so one day I went up to Jerry and asked him, I don't get it! You can't be a positive person all of the time. How do you do it?" Jerry replied, "Each morning I wake up and say to myself, Jerry, you have two choices today. You can choose to be in a good mood or you can choose to be in a bad mood. I choose to be in a good mood. Each time something bad happens, I can choose to be a victim or I can choose to learn from it. I choose to learn from it.

Every time someone comes to me complaining, I can choose to accept their complaining or I can point out the positive side of life. I choose the positive side of life."

"Yeah, right, it's not that easy," I protested. "Yes it is," Jerry said. "Life is all about choices. When you cut away all the junk, every situation is a choice. You choose how you react to situations. You choose how people will affect your mood. You choose to be in a good mood or bad mood. The bottom line: It's your choice how you live life."

I reflected on what Jerry said. Soon thereafter, I left the restaurant industry to start my own business. We lost touch, but I often thought about him when I made a choice about life instead of reacting to it. Several years later, I heard that Jerry did something you are never supposed to do in a restaurant business: he left the back door open one morning and was held up at gunpoint by three armed robbers. While trying to open the safe, his hand, shaking from nervousness, slipped off the combination. The robbers panicked and shot him. Luckily, Jerry was found relatively quickly and rushed to the local trauma center. After 18 hours of surgery and weeks of intensive care, Jerry was released from the hospital with fragments of the bullets still in his body.

I saw Jerry about six months after the accident. When I asked him how he was, he replied, "If I were any better, I'd be twins. Wanna see my scars?"

I declined to see his wounds, but did ask him what had gone through his mind as the robbery took place. "The first thing that went through my mind was that I should have locked the back door," Jerry replied. "Then, as I lay on the floor, I remembered that I had two choices: I could choose to live or I could choose to die. I choose to live."

"Weren't you scared? Did you lose consciousness?" I asked. Jerry continued, "...the paramedics were great. They kept telling me I was going to be fine. But when they wheeled me into the ER and I saw the expressions on the faces of the doctors and nurses, I got really scared. In their eyes, I read 'he's a dead man" I knew I needed to take action."

What did you do?" I asked.

"Well, there was a big burly nurse shouting questions at me," said Jerry. "She asked if I was allergic to anything. 'Yes' I replied. The doctors and nurses stopped working as they waited for my reply. I took a deep breath and yelled, 'Bullets!' Over their laughter, I told them, "I am choosing to live. Operate on me as if I am alive, not dead." Jerry lived thanks to the skill of his doctors, but also because of his amazing attitude. I learned from him that every day we have the choice to live fully. Attitude, after all, is everything.

Kids Say the Darndest Things

         So, 1 1/2 weeks of camp down, 2 weeks to go. I can't even begin to explain how amazing camp has been so far! Orientation and clinics flew by and were surprisingly fun this year, and the first week of actual camp was more amazing than I could have imagined. I had one weekers (which is a new thing for camp this year) and they were the itty-bitty babies, only 7 years old! They were precious and hilarious. The group of six 7-9 year olds traveled in a pack all week to all the different activities and I went with them. Since they traveled in a pack we called them the amoeba.... By the end of the week, everyone was calling them the amoeba!! This past week with the amoeba only reiterated the fact that my passion is working with children. I am always awestruck by how capable children are to love and play. They have such an optimistic view on everything and wear their heart and their feelings on their sleeves. My heart is always overflowing with joy after spending time with children. There is so much to learn about yourself from children.

        My week with them Amoeba was nothing less than amusing. I don't know if I have ever laughed so hard in my life, especially when we took them all on an overnight into the woods (what an adventure).... I knew that it would be an amusing week and that I would have some great quotes, so naturally I wrote all the funny and adorable quotes down. (Also, precursor: My campers all called my "Miss Liz" and when I told them they could just call me Liz they said they liked calling me Miss Liz) So here it goes, I hope you enjoy :)

Harper (7 yrs old): I want to be a ballerina when I grow up..... and work at chick-fil-a

Lilly (7 yrs old): (wake me up by tapping me on the shoulder) Miss Liz, what time is it?

Me: 6 am....

Lilly: How much longer until the wake up bell rings?

Me: 2 hours....

Me: Holly, tell me about 1st grade!
Holly (7 yrs old): I have a crush on a guy and he has a crush on me. He signed my shirt! Well, actually I like thousands of guys.

Lilly: Miriam, can you put your hair down?
Miriam: It is down....

Harper: I want to make new friends and not be the person who is like "sorry you cant be my friend, I have too many friends." I'll just make new friends!

Lilly: Miriam is a little crazy, actually a lot crazy. Just don't tell her I told you that.

Lilly: You know, sometimes you just need a bathroom break.

Harper: Maybe I can take my camera up to the barn, if the horse doesn't eat it. He might think it is an apple, because it kinda looks like an apple.

Me: In college, I can wear pajamas to class if I want to.
Harper: And you don't even have to a pajama day pass?!?!? NO FAIR!!

Harper: If only I had short shorts on under this shirt... Then it would look like I was naked.

Me: Lilly, there is water in the dining hall.
Lilly: Is it free?

Harper: I writing down what I am going to run for president. I want there to be more fun, because I like having fun. I'm also going to stop taxes because no one likes paying taxes to the government.

Mary Elliot (9 yrs old): Hot Chocolate makes me feel good!!!

Mary Elliot: Lilly just hit me in the back...
Me: Ok just go run in circles I guess...?
Mary Elliot: Ok (runs in circle around the camp site, in the rain)

Harper: I'm peeing in the woods! Oh look, a firefly!

Miriam (counselor): Are you special Ed? That's what my boyfriend is. I mean he's not, he just teaches special ed.

Sarah (counselor): If a critter comes under my sleeping bag because of you, I'm going to flip you out of this hammock.

      Well, that all I got. Pictures will be coming soon. But here is a preview of my cute cabin!

The Amoeba: a.k.a my companions for the week!