Last winter when I told my parents that I would be returning to my sleepaway camp for a 12th summer, I was met with the biggest eye rolls I’ve ever seen. My home friends reacted more humorously, but they too did not understand my choice to return.
As spring rolled around, I began to feel increasingly anxious about my decision to return to camp. My school friends were all figuring out internships and strategically planning their summers to best set them up for the rest of college. Now feeling slightly unsure, I still made my way back to camp at the end of June.
It’s been six weeks now since I left the place I called home for so many summers. Although I have no idea what I want to do next summer, or even postgrad for that matter, I’m grateful I chose to spend one final summer as a counselor. Although as a junior I constantly feel as if I’m running out of time, I’ve tried to remind myself that my young adult life has only just started. There is plenty of time to do all the things I need to do. This past summer, I needed to spend one last season on the lake with my best friends. I made a bridge across the lake into Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory, planted a flag for a new country with 16 8-year-olds, and crafted 5 gallons of slime to take down a Justin Bieber imposter.
With each year of college, I feel like time is so limited. I’m always nervous I’m not making the most out of my time here, or on the opposite side, not spending enough time focusing on building up my future. If there is anything I learned from this summer, nothing you love can ever be a waste of time. There’s also way more time than we think there is!