Home Sweet Home?

Well, I'm home! It's always strange how coming home from camp brings a conflicting mix of emotions. I am happy to be freed from the 'something to do every moment of the day' feel of camp, yet I feel listless and unproductive--like I'm not doing something I'm supposed to. It's nice to be back in my own apartment with all of my stuff and to not be living out of suitcases anymore (well, almost--I'm still slowly unpacking), but my apartment seems so empty. I've been living with 13 other people for almost eight weeks now and while some of them drove me nuts at times (no names! ;) , I miss the community of that group. I miss the companionship. I miss the human interaction. I crave random pointless conversations at 2am, sharing ridiculous stories for the hundredth time.

I have done this enough times to know that this is the normal post-camp depression. We jokingly call it 're-entry' because it's like coming back to 'real life' after having been gone for eight weeks. I've lived in a temporarily alternate universe. I don't know what's going on in the world, but I will laugh at my own private jokes for weeks. I've just had eight weeks full of experiences that no one REALLY wants to hear all about. Some will say they do and will patiently listen to a few stories, but most just want to ask the simple and pointless question, "So, how was your summer?" and receive the equally simple and pointless response, "Good!"

And honestly, if someone were to really, really want to hear what went on this summer, I wouldn't even know where to begin. It's something that must be experienced in order to be understood in it's entirety. And so I usually just stick with my own simple and pointless response of, "It was good--God did some really cool things this summer" knowing that I will never be able to express in words the amazing things that God did this summer. Knowing that God can and does do those amazing things on a daily basis, but we are all usually too busy to stop and take notice. Knowing that, just as students struggle with 'losing the glow' of camp as they return to their 'normal' lives, I struggle with that exact same thing.

I had a great time this summer. I learned a lot about God. I learned a lot about myself. I learned a lot about other people. I think I came home with more questions and less answers than when I left, but I think that's a good thing. So often, I feel like I've got it all figured out and I start carving my little niche. Right now, I think I'm starting on a blank page, and I'm waiting to see what God shall write as I begin this new chapter in my story...