Discovery

A message from Kate Keefe for Appreciation Service

When I was young my parents encouraged my brother Tim and I to go outside and play every afternoon after our homework was done.  Tim and I would explore the woods behind our house.  To me, they seemed more like a jungle than our backyard.  There was a hill where we eventually built a fort out of fallen branches and an old tarp; a brook that trickled through with minnows, frogs, and water striders; and a swamp full of skunk cabbage and mud just waiting to engulf our rain boots or sneakers.  Out in the woods I discovered the deep burgundy of the red trillium, the melted imprints where deer slept on winter nights, and the abilities of the water strider to use surface tension to walk on water.  Maybe it was then that I discovered my love of the out-of-doors, or maybe it snuck up on me over time.

Life is full of large and small discoveries.  I have learned many things this summer and during my summers at camp.  Mushrooms aren't so bad, especially when they're stuffed with cheese.  Canoeing is like riding a bike: once you know the strokes your body remembers the motions.  Smiles are contagious.  Skinned knees hurt a lot, but feel better after the nurse cleans them for you.  It's easier to fall asleep when I have a teddy bear.  Many of these have been small discoveries, but a couple of these discoveries influence my life on a daily basis.

I have discovered that it is okay.

It's okay to be wrong.  It's okay to admit that you don't know the answer but can try to ask someone who does, or look it up.  It's okay to ask for help and learn from your mistakes.  I remember entering high school and college and having my teachers and professors tell us that there was no such thing as a stupid question, and that they were available if we needed help.  I have never like asking for help.  I suppose I thought that I could figure my problems out on my own.  I believed that my books and notes were enough to solve the problems and situations that I was faced with.  I eventually found myself in over my head.  My work was taking me longer to complete, and I felt myself falling behind.  With a little help from friends, I joined study groups and eventually became more comfortable asking for help.

These days I lead outdoor trips.  I've hiked countless trails and love exploring new ones.  I've learned that Waukeela girls enjoy a good view or waterfall, but would rather not exert themselves too much on introductory trips.  I remember the introductory trips I planned my first summer.  Man, was that a learning experience... Places like Mount Willard and Arethusa Falls have stayed the same, but many have changed because I wanted the introductory trips to be focused more on fun rather than on the challenge.  I think we have better time now and I value the input and suggestions I receive.  These trips remind me of all those days I spent tramping through the woods with my little brother, and why I started leading trips in the first place.

It's okay to not want to grow up; to not have your life planned.  I feel like there is this overwhelming desire to grow up.  Even in the song "Circle Game," the ten year-old boy has to be content with answers like 'when you're older.'  At sixteen he is reminded again to take your time, it won't be long now before you drag your feet to slow those circles down.  I must admit that I'm a bit like that boy.  Growing up, I wanted to grow up faster.  To be able to stay up later.  Go to dances.  Be more like the girls I saw in magazines.  Since college, I've turned my hobbies into a career.  I enjoy spending my time in the woods and on the water.  All I've wanted to do is drag my feet and prolong this special time of my life.  A time where I can take my time, smell the flowers, and search for four-leaf clovers.  My outdoorsy style will probably never be found on the pages of "Seventeen."  The plan I had during high school and college no longer applies.  I've left that one behind and I'm drawing up new plans that follow my dreams a little bit better.

Probably the most important thing I've discovered this summer is that it's all about attitude.  I've noticed that the days I set out full of energy, excitement, and enthusiasm are the days I have the most fun.  It is easy to let the rain get you down.  It's colder.  Your clothes get damp... or completely drenched, and it's kind of gray.  But think... if we didn't have rain storms you couldn't catch raindrops on your tongue, try to dart between raindrops, or go puddle jumping.  I have to admit that the puddle jumping at Waukeela is truly spectacular!  Every so often I'm a little bit scared.  I worry about a trip because I don't necessarily know all the girls going (especially after taking a year off), and I wonder if they'll like me and have fun.  But then I give myself a shake and tell myself that the best way for all of us to have fun is for me to be excited and ready to have a good time.  So I quit worrying, paste a smile on my face, and set out ready to get to know new people, try new things, and have a good time. 

Twenty years from now you'll regret more things you didn't do.  So throw off the bowlines.  Sail away from safe harbor.  Catch the wind in your sails.  Explore.  Dream.  Discover.
-Mark Twain

Explore.  Dream.  Discover.  These three words are etched into a bracelet that I wear on my wrist always.  It's a constant reminder to step outside my comfort zone.  Live every moment and experience to its fullest.  To dream big.  To remember that I still have things to learn.  That I don't know everything yet.  There are still new places to explore, friends to meet, and a whole world of experiences, friends and other truly wonderful things just waiting to be discovered.