The Small Things Matter

At Falling Creek, each week of the summer has a theme. This week, campers will spend time thinking about humility.

Humility can be a tricky word. Some people think it means putting yourself down or pretending you’re not good at something.

“Humility is not thinking less of yourself. It is thinking of yourself less.”

— C.S. Lewis

In other words, humility is less about how you think about yourself and more about how you think about the people around you.

That idea has started showing up around camp.

During Theater Skill this week, Camp Director Marisa Pharr used an unusual volunteer to teach a lesson about communication.

Rucker the camp dog took center stage as she demonstrated how body language and tone affect the messages we send. First, she crossed her arms, turned slightly away, and said, “Good boy.” The words sounded positive enough, but Rucker wasn’t interested.

Then she tried again with an open stance, an encouraging voice, and a smile.

“Good boy!”

This time, Rucker responded immediately.

The campers laughed, but they understood the lesson. How we communicate matters because the way we make people feel matters.

That same idea showed up during free choice later in the week.

One camper stood near the foosball table watching others play. Counselor Freddy Somers noticed him standing there and walked over.

“Aren’t you going to play?” he asked.

“Never have before,” the first-time camper replied.

Without hesitation, Freddy smiled.

“Today is your day. You could be incredible at it.”

A few minutes later, a new game was underway and the camper was part of it. Nobody asked Freddy to do that. There wasn’t a reward waiting for him. He simply noticed someone standing alone and made room for him.

Down at the lake, Harrison C. from Birmingham, Alabama, had found a good spot along the shore and was quietly fishing. Before long, Finn I. from Denver, Colorado, and Gray Q. from Jacksonville joined him.

Finn got right to work casting, but Gray quickly ran into a problem.

“I forgot how to cast,” he admitted.

Two campers who had just won the Fishing Tournament overheard him. Instead of continuing to fish on their own, they walked over and helped. They showed Gray how to bait his hook, offered a few pointers, and even suggested a better spot along the lake.

“You should come over here,” one of them said. “The fish bite better in this part of the lake.”

For the next several minutes, some of the most experienced fishermen in camp spent their time helping one of the newest. Nobody asked them to. They simply saw someone who needed help and decided to help.