Last time, I mentioned an upcoming road trip and dance camp (summer camp for adults!). Well, I’m back, and have just wrapped up a week of staycation immediately following that. By the time you read this, I’ll be back at work, le sigh.
Dance camp was…well. It was awesome, but it was also a lot. I spent much of the time trying to manage the heat and humidity (no AC!) and deal with all the peopling (lovely people, but…). I’ve gotten a lot more sensitive to both as I get older, for various reasons. I promised myself not to feel badly about skipping out as much I needed to, and it was interesting to notice myself developing strategies and finding a rhythm as the week went on.
Some favourite memories:
- Waking up at 5 AM the first morning to an absolute chorus of birdsong around my little three-person cabin in the trees.
- The lake, which was just perfect for swimming…or for reading a book on the dock while dangling your feet in the water, whichever. I did plenty of both.
- The marble runs built on the walls at all the washrooms. (I love marble runs. Totally made up for not having a washroom in the cabin!)
- The outdoor shower — covered, but open to the air, with pine trees visible just beyond.
- Long talks with my cabinmates, both longtime friends of mine from other cities, and other dance friends old and new.
- Dancing “Sapphire Sea,” which always makes me cry because I associate it with yet another dance friend who passed during the you-know-what.
- Blowing people’s minds with my “keep cool” tech (look up neck fans and cooling cloths! I also had a small desk fan that helped a lot in the cabin).
- Being summoned for a Canadian campers photo (there were only five of us among maybe two hundred campers) by being serenaded with the beginning of “Barrett’s Privateers” (one of the most ubiquitous Canadian folk songs, by acclaimed singer-songwriter Stan Rogers).
And I managed not to get heat stroke, sunburn, or *ahem* any sort of illness, thank lork.
I got home a week ago Saturday and spent my staycation (in between long walks with my spouse) gradually unpacking and making baby steps towards getting the house in order. It doesn’t look much different, yet, but I’ve had the energy to push through mental blocks on a number of objectively minor things that have needed doing for a while. So I’d say the goal of R&R was a success.
Now back to real life in 3…2…1…
Pingback: Emerging – Turtleduck Press