No matter who you are, or where you’re from, an experience of being at camp forms strong memories in our brains. We don’t forget the sounds, smells, and the overwhelming feeling of connection with nature. If you get the opportunity to go back to camp as an adult, I dare you to try not to smile.
All the memories of camp from childhood come flooding back the moment you arrive at camp. You can’t help but smile.
This week I experienced an opportunity of a lifetime as a volunteer for an event at Kamp Kenwood on Lake Wissota, in Chippewa Falls, WI.
The event called Bridging Memories, designed for families of people living with dementia, gave them a day to bridge memories together and to find joy and humor while they connected with nature.
Having experienced dementia with my mom, I remember days sucked into the disease and focused totally on the losses of dementia. On those days, I’d forget that people with dementia still have memories locked away in their brains. The memories can be tapped into and help bridge a tougher day into a better day. When I’d step back and realize it was me who needed to change my perception, things always went better for both of us.
When I found a way to tap into memories from her past, I was able to unleash a sense of excitement and see her smile instead of frown. Those were the best days of her dementia experience.
That is exactly what the Bridging Memories event did for all of us there that day. It brought back positive memories from the pasts of all the participants and created many new memories too.
All the smiles I saw on the participant’s faces still overwhelms me and makes me want to smile too. They shared stories of their camp experiences from their youth. Their memories were flowing out like the water in the lake. My heart is still warmed by the new memories I have of the day. The participants reminded me of my mom and her smiles when she was enjoying adventures with me as her dementia took hold of her brain.
As I ate my lunch, I reflected on how often I still miss her.
It’s been 5 years since she passed away from dementia. The ‘swim at your own risk sign’ reminded me of her. She loved to swim at camp. I’m positive she would’ve loved the event, just like all of those who attended this year.
As I looked out at the lake waiting for the pontoons to float by, I remembered how she loved to ride on the pontoon with her girlfriends. She would’ve been one of those out there soaking up the sun and the wind. And, yes, she would’ve been smiling too.
Oh, my, I realized, I hadn’t taken many pictures of the day. When I was a child at camp, I did the same thing. I was so involved in things, I’d forget to take pictures. But my brain did what a brain does, it formed new memories. It planted the memories of the day somewhere in my brain for retrieval at a moment in the future.
I closed my eyes and I could see all of the smiles from the day.
Even though I don’t have dementia, I am no different from all of the people who arrived at camp that morning. The moment I walked into camp it was like I, too, hadn’t let decades of the time go past at all. I was right there back at camp, feeling the same as I did as a child. I could relate to their smiling faces. I was able to bridge memories with them. It was a beautiful experience. I know I will treasure the memories of the day, I hope they will too.
Ah…yes, camp, and smiles go together forever in our brains. EverydayAdventures2017-Camp
One thought on “Camp and smiles go together”
Comments are closed.