S.T.A.F.F.: Spirit

In the Starlight Playhouse, just to the left of the stage (stage right for all you theatre majors) are five flags that hang for the entirety of camp. The upper senior boys bring them into the rec hall (Starlight Playhouse doubles as the rec hall) on the opening night. On the five flags are five words; well there's one word on each flag...total of five words: Spirit, Tradition, Adventure, Family, Fun. During one of our many activities in the rec hall I noticed that these words spelled S.T.A.F.F. I was kind of bored but I thought it was really cool because it was completely unintentional. These next couples blogs are going to be about what each word means to me.

The first installment then shall be: Spirit

It is shockingly hard for me to define what spirit "is." The way I like to define spirit is through attributes. The desire to wake up every morning with the goal of having a better day than yesterday. The willingness to do everything you can to get the most out of life. The knowledge that at the end of the day you left it all on the field, so to speak. 3am creeps up on you and you press on with the set and costumes because you know there are too many people depending on you.

Spirit, however, is one of the easiest things in the world to see. Every morning everyone makes their way to line-up at the flag pole. David shows his spirit by waking us up with "Good Morning!" We begrudgingly respond "Good Morning!" We raise the American flag (once a year we MIGHT raise the Canadian flag) and we show our patriotic spirit by saying the Pledge of Allegiance. We enter the dining hall and a whirlwind of spirit, a kaleidoscope of cheers and chants, a plethora of pot banging and napkin shaking commences. These demonstrations of spirit are infectious and continue outside of the dining hall to bunks and fields.

I hear stories (though I've never had the privilege of seeing) the spirit of the Glick during "Inspections." He finds a way to make something so cumbersome, so tedious, so trivial into something memorable. His spirit is infectious! He takes his enthusiasm, his spirit wherever he goes and he gives it to others.

Whether on the fields or courts, the Playhouse or the Dining hall, the Spirit of Camp Starlight lives and breathes in every single person. It's what wakes you up in the morning (that and reveille), gets you through your day, and keeps you up at night talking with your kids about what they did that day. Spirit is what gets you through a 100 F day. Spirit is what gets you through a game you're losing 42-7. Spirit is what makes you come back to Camp Starlight year after year.