Written and photographed by Elana Brooks (Eagle Wing counselor)
All of a sudden, a slow summer rain began to fall, pounding on our cabin harder and harder. It didn’t take long for the noise of the rain to grab my campers’ attention, and when it did, no one hesitated to run outside. I followed and watched as my girls climbed the porch railing and stuck their heads so far off that they could see the rain and where it came from. For several minutes, there was no noise except for the sound of the downpour. All I could see were five young girls sticking their heads into the misty rain, smiling so wide and screeching with delight. It was a beautiful summer shower and from then on, time slowed down. The minutes were full of split seconds. The porch was filled with my girls scrambling around trying to find the best spout of water, in order to feel the warm evening shower strike their faces. Laughing with delight, they climbed higher, without giving a single thought to their drenched hair or clothing.
I was amazed with their carefree spirit and the complete joy that my campers got out of this driving rain. As we grow older, we sometimes lose those moments of experiencing happiness by simply being drenched in rain, and instead, gain, inhibition. Those minutes reminded me of the much-needed carefree 10-year-old spirit, which we should all possess. It was nice to see something so natural bring such happiness.
Granted, afterwards, all my campers wanted to know if this shower would count for their real shower. And, of course, it didn’t. The rain passed and so we dripped our way back into the cabin and got ready for first E.P.
