It's the little things

We've been re-doing our office at camp, and as new walls have been going up and bathrooms are being reconstructed, we've been coming up with all kinds of little things to make the office look even better. New pictures on the walls, clipboards with our logo, reorganizing the space--lots of little details that are quickly adding up to make it look like a whole new office!

Every time someone comes up with another idea for a detail we can tweak to make it just that much better, I get so excited to see how everything is coming together. So I've been thinking a lot about the details. It's great--and important--to have the big picture in place. You have to know what you are about, and why you are doing what you do. But it is the details that separate an average experience from a great experience.

When I was a kid, I went to three other camps before ending up where I am now. I had fun at all of them, but when I got to Kanata, there was no doubt in my mind that this was the place for me. From the outside, all of the camps appeared relatively similar: all co-ed, around the same size, facilities pretty comparable, the same general activities were offered. But at Kanata, the counselors had an energy that the other camps didn't have. The staff appeared to be a lot closer. When you got to camp, there was a poster on the outside of your cabin with your name on it. You didn't have to buy a camp t-shirt at the store--you were given one as soon as you got there. The counselors made a point of going around to each bed and saying "goodnight" to each camper individually. Cheering in the dining hall was a lot more fun because everyone was so excited about it. There was a song that we all sang together before going to campfire (that's where the name of my blog came from!). On Saturday when you left, you were sent home with a picture of your cabin.

At the time, I had no idea that all of these details were what added up to make my camp experience at Kanata so much more memorable than at other camps, but more and more I realize that it's the little things that can make a really big difference.