We Never Know

       When  I was in the ninth grade, I won a scholarship to attend  a conservation camp. I won because I submitted a short essay about why I’d like to go. I don’t why I did such a thing, but I did.   Off I went to camp, where I fell head over heels in love with nature.  My absolutely favorite book at the time was The Web of Life by John H. Storer.  Its subtitle was “The World of Nature in Action.”  A Signet Key Book, it cost 35 cents.  I still have the book. Its pages are brown with age, and the cover is faded and has come unglued.  By today’s standards, it would be termed a book about preserving our environment.  Incidentally, after that success, I began to submit material to other competitions and was successful in many cases.
       The beauty and mystery of nature startles me; I study ants, stars, trees, and colors of ocean and sea waves. I love flowers. I know the feel and color of the dirt on the lane that led to our country house. I remember dusty goldenrod weeds. I know the feel of bony cotton plants and the weight and tug of the burlap sack into which I put the cotton .I wasn’t forced to pick cotton, but I did it because the field was next to house, and I wanted to make a little extra money. (At the time, cotton was  three cents a pound.)  But I digress. 
      The adult counselors at that conservation camp were knowledgeable, educated, encouraging, and they seemed to like me. They made me feel special.  Other than my family, I had never encountered individuals who held me up in such a way.  Their affirmation overwhelmed me.
        I returned to conservation camp the following year and the year after that. During my college years, I  became a camp counselor not only there but at other camps. At Camp Burnt Gin in Sumter, SC, I taught swimming to disabled children. It was a humbling and challenging responsibility, but I liked the children and I liked swimming.
        Author M.L.Rigdon’s comments about me and my writing in her blog -----htpps://historyfanforever.wordpress.com/  ----  led  me to recall those summer experiences. Why?  Because her comments made me feel the way I felt that first year at conservation camp----overwhelmed by the affirmation I received,-- humble, inspired, and hoped I would never disappoint such lovely people.
         M.L.Rigdon is knowledgeable about her writing craft.  She is also theatrically and musically talented with many credits. Thank you my friend for being so kind.  I am overwhelmed by your remarks, much like the beauty of nature startles me and how I feel when reading Shakespeare’s “Sonnet 73.”
      We never know what road in life a person will take because someone affirmed his or her efforts and /or interests.  The garden club ladies didn’t require anything of me except that I give a talk   -- er, a speech—about my week at camp. I have been a writer and a speaker ever since.