Camp Mighty: Recap

I’m home from Camp Mighty, and slowly but surely getting my life back in order, by doing things like making large batches of soups and cuddling my cat. Clearly, I’m turning into an old woman, despite doing cool things like hanging out at the Ace Hotel all weekend.

It’s really difficult to put this weekend into words. It was wonderful. It was transformative. It was inspiring. It was fun.

There were so many takeaways from the inspirational people who spoke. From Brian Pitrowicz, a producer on the Oprah show, I learned about intentions, and the power of putting a positive purpose into the world and sticking to that intention, every day. From Evany Thomas, I learned to lean into the best parts of myself instead of the worst, and that it’s okay to say no so you can say yes to other things. Lisa Congdon encouraged me to be a nerd and never apologize for my obsessions, and to imagine my magnificent life, and keep working towards it. To say that the speakers were inspiring seems trite in light of the gifts they gave us. I laughed, I cried and I took copious notes because even in the moment, I realized that I was hearing amazing things that were going to change the way I approach my life.

There were magical little moments, too. Meeting SO MANY bloggers that I’ve read and admired for years. Getting to thank Dooce for writing about depression, because she encouraged me to write about my own and to get help (seriously—getting to hug someone whose work has profoundly impacted your life, and to say thank you, is surreal). Listening to Kenna and Catherine discuss the importance of social good and feeling tremendously inspired to do good things for others.

For me, the best part of the weekend was the fact that it completely lacked nay-sayers. At one point, we sat in a room, in teams, and shared our five goals for the year. I watched 25 adults sit in a room and hold space for people to laugh and cry and share things that are scary and hard and vulnerable. I think that so often when we put ideas out into the world, we’re afraid to be earnest about them. I can’t count the number of times I’ve wanted to write something in this space and taken it down because I was afraid someone would mock my emotions or thoughts. I brush aside my biggest dreams and goals sometimes because it’s easier to make a joke or focus on other things because taking yourself seriously and putting yourself out there in a genuine way is scary. It’s easy to tear others down for following their own dreams, too—I’m guilty of being uncomfortable around people I find too earnest or things that feel different than my own goals. It’s easy. This weekend made me want to pursue my goals and dreams with total focus. It made me want to be a better person, to be the best version of myself everyday. It made me incredibly excited about my future and helped me define some goals I’ve had for a long time. I can’t wait to see what’s next.

And don’t let the cheesy anecdotes fool you: I also danced at a space party, laughed hysterically, sat in the hot tub, drank margaritas with friends and fully enjoyed the weekend. Maggie and Laura know how to throw a party.

For me, I think I realized that you can never underestimate the power of a lot of really kind, smart people in one place. I can’t wait to see what this year will hold, before I go back for next year, of course.