While living in Athens, GA during the ‘off-season’ keeps me a little warmer, it also makes for a lot of travel. When I can, I make a trip up to Camp Weequahic to check on our winter projects and spend time with our maintenance team. It’s a treat to see the guys and think about all the new projects we preparing for the kids.

My most recent trip to camp reminded me of an important lesson.

The Snow Drive

Let’s the set the scene: it was a dark and very stormy night. I mean that literally – snow was plummeting down driven by a hard, gusty wind late in the evening.

A trip that normally takes two and a half hours from NYC was stretching into it’s fourth hour. And, those normally dark country roads were all the more interesting because of the unplowed snow. Because of all the snow, I could not see the edge of the road – on either side!

With six miles to go to get Weequahic, I was running out of mental gas. Then, something great happened. My tires found the center lane ‘boundary bumps.’

These marks are regular gouges taken out of the exact middle of the road. If you accidentally stray toward the opposite lane, your tire makes a very distinct rumbling sound. It wakes you up quickly to the mistake and reminds you to get back to your side.

This was exactly what I needed. Since there were no other cars on the road and I was traveling way under the speed limit, I put my left tires on those boundary bumps. After 20 minutes of a slightly loud and bumpy ride, I made it safely to camp.

The Need for Boundaries

Boundaries are important. They keep us safe and point us in the direction we need to move. While they are important for adults, they are even more important for young people.

Some families are concerned about that our choice-based program is too open, too free. When it’s explained that girls are playing only with other girls in their same age group while the boys are doing the same elsewhere, they start to see the boundaries. When we explain that each kid is individually tracked throughout the day, families get more comfortable.

We believe in boundaries at Weequahic, ‘walls’ if you want to call them that. But, they are walls of a playground. And, we spend an enormous amount of time choosing and training the staff who mentor and re-direct our campers who need it.

Whether it’s teaching someone how to recognize the effects of their actions, opening up to new friendships, or being grateful, our boundaries help to guide and instruct. The result of these thoughtful and firm boundaries is a community that is kind, open, and engaged.

The Take Away

You’ve got boundaries in your life. Some are really useful like the bumps needed to make it safely to home or guidance that patiently and kindly directs you to better action. Some boundaries, which keep you from reaching your full potential or dampen your creativity, are not good and need to be battled with courage.

Learn to question the boundaries around you and take stock of their true meaning for your life. If you want a life without limit, make sure to mind the right boundaries and break through the bad ones. Have a great weekend!