Rise and Sunshine

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I woke up this morning at 5:40 am. The greatest part in waking up that early was that I did so on accident and could go right back to sleep. It might have been carrying over from yesterday when I woke up around the same time. Yesterday I couldn’t go right back to sleep though, seeing as I was out at Camp and had to first deal with the camper dilemma which woke me up in the first place. The weird thing about getting up that early at Camp, though? I didn't mind one. single. bit.

I had the great privilege of going out to Clemson’s Outdoor Lab these past few days and getting back to work as a camp counselor. I loved being able to spend time back out at that beautiful place (we got to go on the pontoon which I hadn’t been able to do all summer! Plus it truly felt like fall for the first time this month) and help provide a respite camp for profoundly disabled individuals for the weekend. It was amazing getting to see some summer friends I hadn’t seen for weeks. We were able to pick up right where we left off and have some grand times even in those few short hours together. My camper, we’ll call him Malcolm, was the nicest and most helpful dude in town. I tell you what, sometimes our campers teach and help us more than we teach them. He’s such a cheery fella’ and I likened him to a mayor of a city, in the way that he would check up on everyone and see how their days were going. It didn’t matter that I first had to wheel him over to the individual in order to chat.

Malcom was born without feeling or use of any body parts below his belly button and so for the weekend I was more than his counselor, I was his live-in aid. I helped him out of bed, go to the bathroom, and get around for the three days I was with him. It was great. We really bonded and I found out he hailed from where my family lives (Michigan), and has other family where I do too (Arizona and New York). I never thought I would so easily volunteer my entire weekend for anything, let alone this type of work. Not to mention the fact that this was a right during a Saturday-Sunday in the fall with college football and NFL galore on TV. In reality though, I couldn’t have cared less about the football. (Although I’m not sure when the last time I learned of a Notre Dame-football score on a Sunday night was.) This weekend taught me so much about the great blessings I’ve been given in life and not to take each day and each opportunity I’ve been given for granted.


Unlike the summer when I had a few weeks to transition back to school-mode, I got back yesterday around 5 pm and was promptly at my 9 am class this morning. I couldn’t miss it! I promised Malcolm that I’d do my best in classes today and this week, and that included showing up and on-time. With such a long, taxing weekend, however, I did forgot to do a homework assignment for the class. But I wouldn't mention that to Malcom; he might worry about me. And that could keep him awake at night. Sleep is a good thing, after all.

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