Sharing is Caring

So working at camp has taught me so many, many things—especially working at a camp for kids coming from low-income families and neighborhoods. One thing it has taught me is that these kids are not short of kindness and happiness, they just show it differently.

Along with other counselors, I was setting up lunch, making sure that all of the kids had everything they needed before I sat down to eat. Well I had sat my things down with a group of kids (counselors must eat with the kids). After getting the milks and juices and silverware for the kids and myself, I sat down at what I thought was going to be a table full of campers. But to my surprise all of the kids that were at the table where my stuff was sitting had decided to go sit with other counselors. It had really hurt my feelings since I was a first year counselor and really trying to make an impact. Well, one of the other counselors was about to sit with me when some of the girl campers at the next table over had saw me sitting all alone, and I guess I looked like I was about to cry, because every single female camper from that table decided to come sit with me. They actually told the counselor that had started heading my way to sit with me that he needed to find somewhere else to sit because they were sitting with me.

After handing them one of my cookies, with the saying, "Sharing is Caring," they soon began telling me about their fears of middle school and what they like to do. I was quickly laughing away all of the stress I had, and the sadness I had of eating alone. I thank those girls, simply because they made me feel like I was doing something right at my new place of work.

Submitted by Anonymous

Listening