Stop and Smell the Roses

Have you ever just sat and watched the trees sway in the wind, or listen to the birds chirp? Taken a slow stroll through the woods and felt like nothing could ever disturb this peace and serenity you feel? Canoed on an ocean, stopped and just meditated on how awesome creation is? That has been a big part of my life these past few days. I have been at camp essentially alone( there are people here, but they are inside most of the evening, and we are all working during the day) for four or five days, then BOOM, 120 people overran the camp for the weekend. Now most have them have left, and I am nearly alone once again (although our assistant program/bible director has joined me). Nothing can compare to the pure bliss of just enjoying nature as it is meant to be enjoyed. This evening I was walking out of a building and saw a deer ambling across the field, on the edge of the woods, taking his merry old time to get wherever it was he was going. We went canoeing earlier this evening and saw a white something (eel possibly, or a water snake if such a thing exists) swimming in the water, later we passed by a crane, swooping over the water. Everything is just so peaceful, so serene, and so quiet. It’s weird to be in this place when it is like that. Usually there are campers shrieking everywhere, or staff members yelling to one another across the field, or busses dropping off loads of children. It’s a camp, which is meant to be filled with people, not empty and void of human life, but I think this may be the way I love it most. Don’t get me wrong, I love working with children, the challenges and rewards they present, but I think after so long living in a fast paced world everyone could benefit from a little slow living for a while.  I spent the past six or seven months immersed in university life, hastily writing papers the night before they were due, because I had spent the past week and a half studying for a midterm, trying to sprint to the curling rink to make it on time, running to get to meal hall between classes, and never actually being 100% free from work. This year is going to be even busier, I have just been hired at the gym on campus, I have been offered the position of fundraising head on our campuses MedLife chapter, will be taking the position of Merch Rep on the Kin society, and plan on applying for a few really cool volunteer opportunities.  It is going to be crazy, but if I have learned one thing these past few weeks, it is to not forget to take the time out of your schedule to relax, to do something that makes you appreciate the world around you just a little bit more, and to never take anything for granted, the world we live in is beautiful for a reason.  Last night I was doing devotions with my coworker and we were reading Romans. Chapter 1 verse 20 talks about creation and how we should be without doubt there is a God because of the divine nature of the world around us. It’s crazy how beautiful our world is, as long as we take the time to stop and smell the wondrous roses around us!

Until next time,

Britt