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Lessons Learned While Waiting in Line
Small town warmth wins out on a cold quest for slots at Campbell Rec's summer camp
By Moryt Milo
I was 16, living in New York City, waiting in line at the Filmore East to buy tickets for the late show of a Grateful Dead concert. It was going to be fantastic. I would hear Truckin', their new hit. They might even jam for a couple of hours, since it was the second show. There I was with my best friends from high school, in New York, on a Saturday night, going to a Dead concert. Nothing could be better. Suddenly a loud crackling broke through the air and a voice came over a bullhorn: "Just 20 minutes to go."
I'm blasted out of my moment of reverie. I'm not in Manhattan; I'm standing in the chill outside the Campbell Rec Center at 7:40 on a Saturday morning. I'm waiting in line with at least 200 other freezing parents so I can sign my kids up for early-bird summer camp.
I know if I don't do it now, my chances of getting into the coveted swim classes might be slim to none. So here I am at what has become a family tradition. Every May for the past five years I've awoken at the break of morning's first light, gotten dressed, grabbed my coffee, newspaper and beach chair and headed out so I could guarantee my kids a fun summer.
But the experience has proven itself to be something special in its own way. Like the size of the line that seems to grow every year, so have I.
In my inaugural year of early-bird sign ups, I learned how crucial it was to schedule my kids' summer activities way ahead of summer. I remember mumbling to myself, as I combed through the Rec Center programs, "How can I plan this when I'm still trying to get through spring." Then hoping I got it right, as I worried my son wouldn't want to take swim lessons, and my daughter would be lonely at camp.
That first year I stood in line and chatted with the parents next to me, quizzing them about the programs, the staff and counselors. I remember being next to someone with older kids, who reassured me it was all great, and my kids would have a good time.
By the following year I was a pro. I whipped right through that Rec Center book, jotting down the activities' numbers and names. And on the appointed day, armed with my coffee and chair, which I didn't have the first year, I was out the door and ready to wait. Once again I found myself talking with the mom next to me. Exchanging experiences and wondering if we were far enough up the line to get all the classes we wanted.
As time went by, and my friends and neighbors had babies, I filled them in on Campbell's version of Early Bird May Madness. They would listen and nod their appreciation. One of my friends even told me, "In the old days, we used to just walk right in and sign up for anything we wanted." Of course, that was back when The Pruneyard still had a gazebo and an elevator and there wasn't a whole lot of anything at the corner of Bascom and Hamilton.
So I knew as the city grew, sprouting more bagel and coffee shops, I'd better set my alarm clock a bit earlier, until I began to wonder if I should just forget about sleep altogether! But that seemed to fall beyond my sense of logic and fair play. Besides I had yet to be closed out of anything, although last year I came close.
And this year as I made my way to the Campbell Rec Center, sans chair (which the Rec department now thoughtfully stacks outside for those who are early enough) I found myself talking with a mom who was in line for the first time. I felt her concerns and remembered back to my first-time worries and what-ifs. Since we had a good hour-plus to kill, I related my own positive experiences and hopefully put her more at ease. And while we talked, I glanced around noticing everyone else doing the same. Talking, laughing and sharing in this annual ritual of line-waiting. Even the fellow on the bullhorn was joking and offering support.
And it was in that long line, on a cold Saturday morning when I realized why I love that there are still small, caring towns tucked away among the big cities. It was a good feeling. Just like when the fellow on the bullhorn said, "Okay it's 8 o'clock. Campbell residents only in this line."
Moryt Milo, a citizen of Campbell since 1990, will be frequent contributor to the Campbell Reporter.
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Campbell, California
