Did You Notice That? The power of paying attention
This time of year we are encouraged to notice what others need. Some are even so kind as to produce a list for us, as my grown children still do! Other notices come to us in an unceasing stream of ads, making us aware of something we didn’t even notice WE were missing, or ever needed.
The best kind of noticing is personal, and fills a need for another person. It’s received as a gift and given selflessly. It’s a huge part of Camp life.
The art of noticing is also a gift, fulfilling a need for another that isn’t even asked for. I have been the recipient of that awareness many times, but one that always stands out dates back to 1974, when I was a first-time 9 year-old camper at Mishawaka.
I’m a “lefty,” and I had neglected to pack my baseball glove in my carry-on bag. (My luggage had been lost…another story!) Seemingly everyone else was right handed, and everyone was playing baseball! Except me.
I was sitting along the first base line, probably pulling grass and looking sad, when Ron Korvas, a camp counselor, noticed. As Ron approached he asked if I needed a glove. “I’m left-handed”, I replied. “Me, too”, he said, tossing me his glove. Off I headed to the game, happy to be in it, even though it was in right field!
Everyday at Camp kids express their needs. They don’t always do it verbally. In fact, if I were to keep track, I think most of those needs get expressed by behavior- acting out, withdrawing, or any number of other ways. None of these needs gets met unless someone notices, and to say that we spend hours driving this point home with our staff would be a gross understatement. We spend days, weeks, and the entire season working on this.
It comes more naturally to some, but when they “get it”- the fulfillment they get from fulfilling an unexpressed need of a child can be life-changing. Those who are good at it can barely make it from one end of the campus to the other without stopping along the way to tend to several opportunities.
Ron and I haven’t talked for years, and writing this prompts me to reach out and connect. We did connect when his daughter came to Camp in the 1990’s, and each of us remembered those events from 1974 as if they were yesterday.
Noticing things is a gift, as I have said, but it’s also a skill that can be developed. It’s a skill we all get to practice every day at Camp. As the distractions of the day (alerts and rings) divert our attention, being open to notifications that don’t come from our phone - but from the human in front of us - takes on greater significance. Now there’s something to add to my list this Holiday season that’s worth giving, and if I am honest, gratefully received.