The Way Camp Should Be

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So I have been home from camp for exactly one week now, and this blog post is way past due. Mostly because I couldn't figure out how I wanted to sum up this summer.

Here is an entry from my journal earlier this week:
"I've been trying to compose a clever way to express how amazing this summer was, but all I have is 'Any summer spent wearing Crocs is a summer well spent.' That feels like it does zero justice to how wonderful this summer was. Although it somewhat sums up the acceptance and comfort of camp, and how happy I was to wear my Crocs 24/7, there's no way it can capture the memories I made new friends in such a beautiful place.

Although this phrase doesn't seem all that deep, perhaps it's all people need to know. Unless you were there, it's difficult to understand. There's so much more that happened this summer, but I think the memories I made and the feelings I felt are something for me to hold on to. I was struggling with everything that I had going on in my head, so I tried to put them on paper but I just ended up with a three page list of all the feelings I felt about leaving Kingsley Pines.

I think the most important thing for me to recognize is how great it was to step out of my comfort zone. I know I was terrified when I left. I had no idea what to expect. But I also didn't know that I would discover a new place to call home and meet friends that will last a lifetime. I'm so incredibly thankful that I took a leap of faith and jumped into summer camp and discovered the way camp should be. KP came at the perfect point in my life. I was ready for a change and the change was great. I liked to refer to this summer as my adventure, and boy, did adventure hit me in the face.

 As I return to school I hope that I can find a way to keep the magic I discovered at camp a part of my life. One of the campers described this magic as a way of staying young forever. It's easy to get lost inside the craziness of this world, and as I embark on the journey that is senior year I hope to hold this message close to me.  In the midst of all of life's crazy changes, I hope I can still find that little of part of me that remembers the magic and stays young at heart.

I owe a lot to Kingsley Pines and the people I met there. In the words of Glinda and Elphaba, "Who can say if I've been changed for the better, but because I knew you I have been changed for good."

Cheers to an awesome summer. I miss you all. Until next time xxx

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