Time Flies!!

Time flies – literally!!  On my birthday, an old acquaintance of mine congratulated me for completing another journey of 585.6 million miles.  I admit I had to think about that one.  Then it dawned on me – he was referring to the miles we travel as the earth rotates.  It kinda puts a different twist on the expression, “it’s not the years, it’s the mileage.”  Upon further research, I discovered we’re traveling approximately 1,000 miles per hour.  So, I’m traveling really fast and don’t realize or appreciate the fact.  So, here we are.

Another year has passed and Winter Blast Camp is almost here.  Like traveling on a spinning Earth, we don’t realize one journey has ended and another is starting.  I don’t feel movement as the Earth rotates, but I feel movement as Bus #7 moves from Doss Elementary to Camp Doublecreek.  Campers feel movement as they negotiate the jungle gym and the low ropes course. They feel the swaying and steady movement while riding a horse.  During Winter Blast, they experience the movement of a tractor during a hayride.  They engage in self-propulsion as they run during soccer, kickball, colored eggs, tag, going from one activity to another, and getting in line for snacks or lunch.  I suppose the most extreme form of self-propulsion takes place on the zipline.

To continue with the physics analogy, campers also put objects in motion when they strike a ball during kickball, soccer, four-square, gaga ball.  They also put objects in motion when they release an arrow, squeeze the trigger of a BB gun, or squeeze the barrel of a horse (hopefully with their toes up).

I doubt if campers have a sense of motion as the Earth rotates; but during Winter Blast Camp they experience the sensation of motion from the time they step on the bus until they get off at the end of the day.  They also get the sensation of hot chocolate and S’mores, which they will not experience during Spring Break or Summer Camps.

I enjoy closing out the year during Winter Blast Camp.  I see it as a spring board.  So goodbye 2017, hello 2018!  Hello Spring Break and Summer!  This will be our 7th Winter Break Camp.  It’s hard to believe we’ve traveled over 3,500 million miles since our first Winter Break Camp.  Would I like to stop time?  Of course!  But since we’re traveling 1,000 miles per hour, that would be a bad idea.  Now if there was only a way for the Earth’s rotation to translate into burning calories!!

 Joe Ray