This summer, I was incredibly lucky to work at a small sleepaway summer camp near Syracuse, New York. It is tucked away amongst a lush forest (with absolutely no wifi) on a clear, cool lake that was nothing short of heavenly to swim in on a hot day.
In total, I had five cabins over eight weeks, each one more inspiring than the next. It is genuinely wild how much you can learn from little kids. From inspection songs to pitch-black hikes down from campfires to marshmallow baseball to freestyle raps, here are the most important lessons I learned this summer:
1. Wear Sunscreen, even if it’s cloudy.
On day three of my first week with a cabin, after what I thought was a cloudy day on the waterfront, I called my mom and told her I needed to see a dermatologist as soon as I got home. My shoulders could only be described as crimson and were so warm they could have cooked an egg. All my campers had worn sunscreen that day and left the water unscathed.
Sunscreen is vital at a summer camp and during summer in general, but sunscreen should be an everyday habit. Your skin will thank you in twenty years.
2. Love unconditionally, no matter what.
There is a friendship dynamic and love between seven-year-old girls that should seriously be studied. I watched as nervous little girls found best friends in strangers they had met hours before.
Being a camp counselor is a lot of work. It requires grit, constant enthusiasm, and, most importantly, love. Love is all around you, everywhere.
Love the people you want to hate. Love your best friends. Love your work—just love, even when it gets hard.
3. Be loud, proud, and authentic. Give 100% all the time.
Before camp activities began each day, the campers and counselors in each cabin were expected to clean the cabin and sing the inspector, a counselor who comes around to ensure all cabins are clean, a song or rhyme. When my co-counselor and I were teaching a group of older campers our rhyme, we noticed they were visibly uncomfortable and seemed less than enthused to sing along. My co-counselor stopped them and said, “Stop looking around! It’s camp! No one is looking at you. It’s okay to get weird!”
This lesson is one I have carried with me all summer. If you’re doing something, whether singing a rhyme, writing a paper, or playing a sport, give it your all! Be proud of the work you do and get excited about it.
4. Nature can cure all.
One new thing I learned this summer is that nature can cure anything. It resolves boy problems, spontaneous respiratory illnesses, and random sadness. If you are mad at the world, hate yourself, or hate someone else, chances are that all your problems will disappear if you spend an hour in the sun.
5. Get certified to perform CPR, basic first aid care, and the Heimlich.
All these certifications are useful. Trust me.