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Gratitude from a First Year Counselor

With this being our 50th anniversary summer, we here at HSJ have been refocusing our energy on gratitude and appreciation for the incredible community that got us to this point. This week, first year counselor Hayley Royal reflects on the gratitude she feels to spend this summer at HSJ.

I find myself with a lot of questions at camp. What’s for lunch? What’s the evening program? What sport will play or what craft will we do? There is one thing, however, that I am certain of: working at camp is the best job. It is a role that is so unbelievably special. I get to spend nearly every waking moment of the day celebrating and encouraging some of the most incredible kids, and I get to do it in a place where my coworkers are my best friends; I am so lucky. Even with this, summers at camp are not perfect. There have been moments where I have wondered if trading a summer with my friends at home for one where I live with twelve nine year olds was the right call. It is in these moments that I remember all that camp has done to infuse gratitude into our daily lives.

Because of the environment of gratitude created at camp, I have started spending a few minutes every night mentally thanking each of my campers for something they did during the day. Thank you for being so enthusiastic at breakfast when we were all practically still asleep. Thank you for singing with me at song session. Thank you for being so kind to everyone in our cabin. Thank you for reminding me how special camp is. It is not a lot, but the difference it makes in my attitude and outlook is incredible. 

I am so grateful for this place and these people and I am so grateful I get to spend yet another summer here.

Thank you again to Hayley for your amazing words. We are so lucky to have you this summer!