Camp again!

So, as most of you have likely heard, I am now working for a YMCA camp south of Grand Rapids on the weekends. I cannot explain how relieved I am to be working at a camp again. The thought of getting a summer job there...I have missed the camp atmosphere so much. It is very much like visiting my home town after years of absence.

As I said, I am only working weekends there right now, but in a few weeks I will be interviewing for a summer Nature Specialist position for which my boss is currently interviewing people. I need to bring three outlines (for three different age groups) for a day's curriculum I would use in their nature center. I am very excited for this opportunity because in interviewing for other jobs, I have never had to really prove I am qualified for a position. It is a personal challenge, and one I am very excited about.

Also coming up in a few weeks, one of my best friends, Andrew, and I should be moving into our own apartment in Grand Rapids. This is also a personal challenge for me, for although I have been living on my own for some time now, this will be the first time I will live in a place where I do not know the landlord/homeowner, and will be the most binding lease I have signed up to this point. It is also very exciting for me because Andrew actually wants to move out West with me, and so I will be living with someone who has a common goal instead of with people who want me to stick around Michigan. This will help motivate both of us to action.

I have been reading a lot lately, which has made me feel much better than normal. I put up my Thoreau book for a while and read "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance," which was phenomenal. Several books I read this fall referenced this one by way of stating it had a profound impact on this person or that author, so when I saw it in a bookstore I decided it would be worth my time and money. This was absolutely true. It is both a modern philosophy book and a story based on true events. The author, Robert Pirsig, is a very skilled author and philosopher in my opinion. The book had a lot of great thoughts on art, living intentionally, and living with quality in mind. It is rather hard for me to explain (literary analysis was never one of my strong points), but I would highly recommend it if you want to really think while you're reading and are open to reading some very interesting philosophy.

Now I am back to my Thoreau book, which is also full of its own philosophy.

Peace.