What would you like to bring to Flying Cloud this summer?
What would you like to take home from Flying Cloud when you leave?
What would you like to “leave at the door,” and let go of as you join our community?
These three questions guide Flying Cloud Friendship fire. It is one of the first events of the session – an early landmark in the orientation days of camp, and long before everyone has learned everyone’s names. At Friendship fire, each Flying Clouder forms an intention for the session and has a chance to share it with the whole community.
Having been through a number of Friendship fires, I am always impressed by the clarity with which our campers speak to the meaningful things they want, and what they know that they have to offer. As campers (and staff!) speak their intentions, they each place a stick into the fire – a symbolic act of unity. Our community is all in, together!
Here are a few snippets from this session’s Friendship fire:
“I’d like to bring an open mindset”
“I want to to take home new stories and new adventures”
“I want to leave behind stress, and stressful expectations of myself”
“I want to take away a better understanding of myself”
“I want to leave behind anxiety around social media”
“I want to bring unconditional love and support”
“I want to leave behind anger”
“I want to bring a personality that lifts people up”
After a few days of settling in, today is our first day of activities; the meat and bones of our Flying Cloud programming. Today we packed ice into the ice house (the old fashioned way!) to use to keep our refrigerated food cold this summer. Some other activities on offer? Deer hide tanning, knife sharpening, and natural woods camouflage from mud and charcoal.
There’s plenty more to come, and we’ve got an exciting session ahead of us. Stay tuned for more updates!
Elliott (he, him)