A love letter to the granola at camp

 
Dear Camp Granola,

I think of you often and it hurts, not only in the depth of my stomach, where I wish you lived, but also in my heart, where I long for you daily. We first met in 2010, I didn’t even notice you at first, or truly appreciate your beauty. Maybe that is what makes you so perfect, your modest simplicity. For the longest time my attention was elsewhere with the likes of Mini Wheats and gluten-free Rice Chex, I rarely showed you the love you deserved.

One day to my shock and horror I arrived at breakfast after performing some hilarious skit at flagpole, to find no Mini Wheats to be seen. Little did I know that this was to be a turning point in my life. I daringly decided to mix my Rice Chex with granola and boom! My life was changed forever! I even threw in some sliced banana, but it was you, o sweet granola, that truly changed my life. I began to reanalyse my existence, view things from a different perspective and re-evaluate where my life was heading.

The true essence of camp lies in each grain you contain, with every bite I felt more honest, more respectful, more caring, and definitely more reliable. You were worth those long minutes waiting in the cereal bar line every morning. I cherish every moment we have spent together and although this long distance relationship has been a struggle, I would not change it for the world.

Many believe I am going back to camp because of my love for the place, the staff and the entire camp community, but they are wrong; it is for you. You are my honor camper, my M&P leader, and my giving tree.

Yours faithfully,

Laura R Kerr

By Laura Kerr, Camp Hayward CIT Director