Flexibility Is (still) Fun
After a couple of delays in our travel plans on Sunday and the resulting schedule changes on Monday, we were somewhat forced to accept the Simply Smiles mantra that we have already repeatedly heard from the staff and interns - "Flexibility is Fun". Even though we haven't been here for a full 2 days, and we have only had 1.5 days of camp, this seems to me to be the theme that will drive us through the rest of the week.
Flexibility can be frustrating, but it can also be extremely rewarding and is a skill that is necessary for all of the people here at Simply Smiles, all of the people that live here in La Plant, and all of the native people living on reservations throughout the region.
Some small scale examples have popped up surprisingly frequently over the course of the past few days. At the summer camp, plans for a structured game can easily go south when energetic children take the reigns. Each of us have experienced something along these lines, ranging from a more tame issue like a child too impatient to make play dough, or a more complex problem, like a camper repeatedly refusing to use the latrines until he goes in his pants. In these situations, flexibility does not solve the problem, but alleviates it to some extent while the solutions are decided upon.
The flexibility that we have had to display has certainly been a challenge, but it seems to be only the tiniest sliver in comparison to the flexibility of the people that live on this reservation. The struggles that were forced upon them and their culture over the course of our country's history and the struggles that they continue to face today due to the nature of their situation are impossible to put into words I can fit in this blog, but flexibility and resilience are traits that have become apparent to me as a staple of their everyday lifestyles.
In conclusion, flexibility is a trait that can help all of us. Whether it be an annoying situation that lasts a few minutes, or a far less than desirable lifestyle as a member of a historically oppressed culture, flexibility is always an important skill. And if it ever feels like everything around you is collapsing and flexibility seems impossible, there is a quote outside at the pole barn here at Simply Smiles - "The world will not end tomorrow. It is already tomorrow in Australia."
Flexibility can be frustrating, but it can also be extremely rewarding and is a skill that is necessary for all of the people here at Simply Smiles, all of the people that live here in La Plant, and all of the native people living on reservations throughout the region.
Some small scale examples have popped up surprisingly frequently over the course of the past few days. At the summer camp, plans for a structured game can easily go south when energetic children take the reigns. Each of us have experienced something along these lines, ranging from a more tame issue like a child too impatient to make play dough, or a more complex problem, like a camper repeatedly refusing to use the latrines until he goes in his pants. In these situations, flexibility does not solve the problem, but alleviates it to some extent while the solutions are decided upon.
The flexibility that we have had to display has certainly been a challenge, but it seems to be only the tiniest sliver in comparison to the flexibility of the people that live on this reservation. The struggles that were forced upon them and their culture over the course of our country's history and the struggles that they continue to face today due to the nature of their situation are impossible to put into words I can fit in this blog, but flexibility and resilience are traits that have become apparent to me as a staple of their everyday lifestyles.
In conclusion, flexibility is a trait that can help all of us. Whether it be an annoying situation that lasts a few minutes, or a far less than desirable lifestyle as a member of a historically oppressed culture, flexibility is always an important skill. And if it ever feels like everything around you is collapsing and flexibility seems impossible, there is a quote outside at the pole barn here at Simply Smiles - "The world will not end tomorrow. It is already tomorrow in Australia."
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