Elvis has left the building

And the students are gone.

Amidst a flurry of hugs and trips out the car, Philosophy Camp 2007 is over. The students seemed ready today- there were no tears. Only promises and plans of contact in the future between them. I wonder if this will come to fruition. I hope so, they may need reminders of what they learned from the people they learned it from. They had an amazing community, one that some of them may struggle to find again.

I had composed notes to a few of them in my mind that I was going to give them before they left, but never ended up actually writing them. As the only fourth week only fellow, I struggled with how much of an impact I really had on these students. As they were wrapping up their experience, I was beginning mine. I had some great conversations and experiences with some, yet there no real way to tell if that was important to them. Maybe I will hear from them in the future.

So here is my note that I didn't write, that some of them probably didn't need, and others might have appreciated:

Go forth with faith and hope. Take risks. Believe in your abilities to continually adapt and grow. Let others in. Create intentional happy lives by really reflecting and listening to yourself. Limit the "shoulds" you experience and instead consider the "coulds". Enjoy the journey, the process of discovery- that is where real life takes place.

I hope you do well. I will always think about each of you and the unique challenges you face with your unique talents. Each one of you have taught me something and touched my life through my experiences with you, I hope in a small way I did the same for you. Let me know how it is going along the way.