Towering Pines Blog

TP Fair Day, a reliable event that depends on a reliable process.

The second session has come and gone, and it’s time for us to reflect on the accomplishments so far and the challenges to come. Here, well into the fifth week of camp, the end is in sight and I find myself wondering where the time went. It seems that no matter how much planning is done ahead of time, the season catches up with me. Times like these, I have to ask myself am I truly behind or is it merely the fast pace of the late summer? It is times like these when I have to fall back on my training and experience to get the job done.

In the field of mediation and conflict resolution, there is a saying: trust the process. While there are instances when it is important to question systems and the status quo, there are also times when it is important to make use of those existing systems to resolve things that we can’t take care of ourselves. In mediation, this phrase hints at the trouble of being objective in a situation where being objective is your most important responsibility. Mediators are counted on to help people reach solutions that work for all parties in a conflict. But when you are in the thick of it, it gets much harder to figure out what the best solution is. When I start to question my own actions, I recall a process that I know works, and I put my trust in that.

Trust week is about not only knowing when to trust the process, but when to trust ourselves and others. No one man can do everything here at camp, but thankfully we have many capable men, each with a skillset that shines here in this unique community. It’s part of the process of building this camp community that we recognize when we need to rely on those around us.

I can always trust Seth to cut up the lake in style on a windsurfer.

Trust week goes hand-in-hand with sportsmanship week. Both depend on mutual respect, a quality we really try to instill in the boys here at TP. There are so many boys with their own abilities and limitations, conflicts arise and it can be tempting to pick on those who are different. This is why it is so important to stress respect. Sportsmanship can grow from respect, but the opposite is also true. Trusting the system, whether it’s the tried-and-true camp routine or the rules of a sailing regatta, requires a respect for your fellow campers and players.

A natural process, hard at work.

I trust the boys around camp to be respectful of my garden, and they respect the wonder of watching things grow over the course of the season (I know you were wondering how I would pull in my garden). It isn’t my stylish fence that keeps people from fiddling about with the beanstalks. The fence is a sign and a symbol (and it helps keep the dogs out), but there’s no barbed wire or gates. People are inquisitive and respectful of the space. The boys’ respect and my trust of them is what makes that system work.

Trust: it’s what makes camp possible. It’s what makes a community possible. It’s not about blind faith or believing in something you have no evidence of. It’s about observing what works and how, and trusting that system to help you stay on course when the wind is too heavy for your hands to guide you.

Honor keeps people out of my garden (although spiky plants and cayenne pepper keep out the chipmunks…)