Susie shared a lovely tidbit with me. At first, it just seemed silly and fun. But as I thought about it, I got a little excited.

This morning at Roundup (the morning assembly on the girls’ side of camp), she watched three 10 year-old girls cheering as they looked at the concrete steps.

As she came closer, she saw that each camper was pouring a stream of water onto the top step and they were cheering to see which miniature waterfall got to the bottom the fastest.

Think of it as the “dot race” at a baseball game, just more hydrating.

These friends (shall I call them “competitors”, perhaps even “athletes”?) were having a blast and cheering like it was a championship game.

This spectacle lasted about 3-4 minutes and ended in laughter.

Of course, you can see the fun/silly part of this story.

Here is what made me excited.

These youngsters created their own entertainment. They experienced a “boring” moment (waiting for the rest of the campers to arrive at Roundup) and did NOT grab a phone to distract themselves. Nor did they complain. They created a memorable moment. They entertained themselves and bonded over the most banal of activities.

I like to say that almost nothing important happens in a minute, but magic happens in moments. This tiny moment embodies so many of the gifts of camp that we love - friends, creativity, agency and - well - silliness.

Steve Sir