By Suzette Belz, VP of Development and Major Gifts

Last week, I decided to go fishing with a group of Ockanickon boys as part of my Customer Experience hours. I haven’t done it before so I challenged myself to try something new. Today’s experience taught me a lot about life in such a short period of time. I could have chosen to do something I knew how to do but instead I took a chance at trying something new.

We live our lives afraid of trying something new. We also are always expecting something or chasing something, most of the times we don’t even know what that “something” might be or look like. As I was there patiently and anxiously waiting to see if I would catch a fish. I realized that the most important thing is to enjoy the moment and not look for what is next. I am guilty of that on a daily basis.  I am always looking for the next thing but on that day last week, I allowed myself to be in the moment and it was amazing. I enjoyed the conversations with the campers who were also enjoying fishing, I enjoyed the sun in my face, I enjoyed being taught simple fishing skills, I enjoyed seeing that I lost my bait many times because it meant many fish got a snack in the process.

I kept trying at different spots on the lake and I tried the other side of the dam. I was waiting for a fish because that’s what you are supposed to get if you are fishing, right? I have to confess I never expected to catch a huge snapping turtle – another thing about life – you never know what to expect because you can’t control everything. Most of the time you end up being surprised at what you get – believe me I was! That turtle was huge and strong, but I am happy it got away.

I switched locations again and I kept going and enjoying myself until the most exciting moment arrived. I was there, reeling and reeling, trying to catch my very first fish ever. I couldn’t believe it – I caught it at Ockanickon!  I was jumping like a little kid. I had the opportunity to relate to our campers.  I got to fish and catch a fish for the first time. It was awesome.

This experience reminded me of what we do here at camp. We give children and teens an opportunity to try new things – such as fishing. We give them an opportunity to challenge themselves and learn to live in the moment. We give them an opportunity to relate to others and to discover new hobbies.