The
UASC camp wrapped up on a Saturday morning and before we left we were
all supposed to write something nice about every other person we knew
on a wagon with their name on it. It seems a little non sequitur but
it stemmed from a game called wagon wheel that we had played several
times in our groups. After the first day we each wrote our names on a
paper and handed it around the room and everyone was to write an
anonymous compliment on it. After the third day we did the same thing
but we signed our names to each compliment. The final day we each
took a turn telling each other person something that we liked about
them. I know it sounds a little Kumbayah, and in the wild it would
be, but with so many truly self-confident, charismatic and talented
people it was easy and natural. It was like an automatic car wash of
self esteem. Well, the game was only for those in your council and so
the girl I was crushing on was not included but her wagon was up in
the common area and I agonized over how to write her a magical
message that would seal the deal for us romantically. She was quite
popular so there were already plenty of things written on her
eight-and-a-half by eleven mimeographed wagon. I found a likely spot
and wrote something I thought was romantic. I am not being secretive
I am really blanking on what it was. The punchline is that after I
had written whatever sweet nothing that I did I got too nervous to
sign my name and instead signed it, and this is no joke, 'The Magic
Man'. Oh man, I still cringe at the unbearable lameness of that. Lame
sign-off notwithstanding I found her in person and asked if she would
like to go out with me that night. She lived about an hour to the
north and we had been at camp all week but she said that she would
love to and gave me her number and address. I was over the moon and
couldn't wait to get home get showered, napped, find some money, and
head up for our date.
