Change is in the Air

Second session has officially begun. As I ate breakfast this morning, I noticed lots of new faces in the dining room. There are new campers and new teachers and specialists. I feel a sparkly energy in the air. Newness does that to me. It opens up a sense of possibility.

In the microcosm of the art room, we have our own newness. A woman arrived yesterday who will be working with us on teaching "green" scrap-booking to two groups of kids for the next few weeks. She will be using recycled materials to create one-of-a-kind scrap-books with the campers. It looks like a cool project, and she is full of energy and excitement. And the other teachers are expanding to let in a new person and feel what that new relationship will be like.

Any new relationship can be an intense experience. When a few people have found their rhythm together as a unit and a new person enters into the mix, there is some push and pull. One of the art teachers was upset about the fact that she herself is an expert in scrap-booking and she feels usurped by the hiring of this woman. I am sure that the new person is going through her own emotional experience of entering into an existing relationship. And I am hopeful that within a few days, we will all find our rhythm and see the possibilities of being in this new relationship. We have already adjusted to many changes in the art room, with a new ceramics director, a new wood working director, and my shift out of ceramics and into the art room. If I hadn't moved into the art room, I probably would not have been working with the campers on the art and meditation program I began three weeks ago.

With every change comes a new experience. I look forward to being immersed in new experiences with new campers, new teachers, and new projects. I can't wait to see what comes of all these new relationships!

What relationship are you feeling anxious about? What are you avoiding? What would be possible if you engaged more fully in this relationship?