I spent every summer from 1955 to 1965 at Camp Miller as either a camper or an employee. Steve Fellows once said that there are only 2 types of people those who loved camp and those that didn't.
I loved my summers more that anything. Home with my family was OK, school and sports were OK but summers at Camp were the best.
I have many great memories of people , places and events from my many summers at Camp. The one thing that has always been top of mind however for me was the river.
Years ago in preparing to teach a wellness class, I was practicing different methods of relaxation and stress reduction techniques. I started using the river as one of my images that I could go to when I needed to calm my brain and heart rate. Images of the river from various places the crows nest, a canoe on the river , the big raft, the little raft or just being in the river itself. The river from various angles walking down the path behind the canteen, from up on the banks where the buddy tags where or even the view down from the Appalachian Trail.
I have used that river and those techniques many times over the years, right before a surgery , going into a closed MRI or before a tough root canal procedure.
Now in the middle of social distancing ,stay at home orders and a global pandemic I find myself returning the those techniques and the calming effect of my mental images of Camp Miller and the Delaware River.
Stay safe, stay strong campers and if you are feeling a little shaky go back in your mind to the places and times you loved best.
John
Comments
Nice post, John. Thanks for the imagery, and the thoughtful advice. - R