Good Things

Last night, I wrote about some of the harder parts of the trip to see the Boy. Tonight, I will write about the positives.

• The Boy knows how to make a fire from wood and kindling. Kids in "Wildie" (as they call it) learn how to make a base, a spindle, a bow and a top rock to create a coal which is then added to a bed of dried leaves (or nest). The tied the spindle to the bow and then connected the spindle to the base. He held the spindle in place using the top rock, and pull the bow back and forth until a little coal formed. "It isn't really about strength, but more about technique," said the Boy.  The Boy put the coal in the mest and blew on the coal until there was a flame. He put the flaming nest in the fire pit and then added twigs and branches. The Boy didn't know that I used to be a pyro until I had kids. My mom was a queen firemaker when we went camping. Now that I think about it, we might have gone camping a lot when I was a kid just so she could make fires.
• The Boy carved a spoon from a twig. He soaked it in oil overnight and then the colors popped out. He sanded it so it is very smooth. Jack's father is a woodworker as a hobby. Wilderness therapy seems to be connecting the Boy to his family roots.

• I asked the Boy if he is making friends with the kids in his group. "They are more like family," he said after thinking about it for a few minutes. This is so different than when the Boy was in the hospital for a few days a few years ago when the staff actively discouraged kids from making friends with other kids. At Wilderness therapy, the guides encourage the kids making friends and connections with the other kids. From the mundane tasks of making dinner and digging latrines to practicing yoga, meditation and reading their impact letters from their parents in front of the group, these guys bond.
• I got to see the quiet, reserved, confident and humble Boy. He is growing. I saw him communicate with us in a mature and emotionally connected way that some people never learn to do as adults.