You know that one girl in fifth grade who went to sleep away camp every June, came back every September, and ranted about how much fun she had tubing in the lake and making s'mores by the camp fire? For a while she probably made you jealous because you weren't having such adventurous summers. Fifteen years have gone by, though, and she's still going back to camp - now you're just judging her.
Yes, you guessed correctly - that girl is me.
I like to think that we all have that one childhood summer episode that we can't seem to let go of. Whether it be attending the father-daughter Fourth of July potato sack race or becoming a member of the pool club that you've been swimming at ever since you put on your first floatie and attending every T-shirt tie-dying event, letting go of the past isn't so easy.
I know many of you are thinking: "Wait, what? I let go of those events years ago, around the same time I threw away my diapers and pacifier."
Well not all of us are like you. I'm a late bloomer and this summer will be my first away from camp. For those of you who are joining me this summer in letting go of the past, I know we're in for a wild ride. There are a few things that I keep telling myself in order to prevent panic attacks and an immense amount of anxiety that neither my parents nor my friends would be able to handle.
Find an alternative
If you're going to leave your summer love, make sure you have something else lined up to occupy your time. You don't want to leave something you love behind to just sit around like a lazy bum on a couch all summer. Find an internship, a job, or even both. If you can't seem to get one of the above, then it can't hurt to take summer classes and get ahead in your schoolwork.
Make sure you're ready
Don't give up on something because you're pressured to. People might think it's lame that you take a family vacation for a week each summer, and I'm sure you're sick of your friends constantly telling you that you missed the greatest beer pong tournament of the summer for this trip. However, don't let them push you to give up doing something you love - you'll only end up regretting it when your family comes home with memories and pictures that you aren't a part of.
Don't back out or live with regrets
If you made the decision to finally grow up and, as I like to say it, become a real person, then do it fully. Don't live in the past and spend an entire two months wishing you were somewhere else. Find fun and entertainment everywhere you go and, most importantly, be happy. Whatever you choose to do - the internship, the job, the classes, or wherever your life's blueprint takes you this summer - think of it as a new and equally incredible experience. Gain new insights, new networks, and new connections with the world around you.
The thought of leaving camp this summer still leaves an awkward and uncomfortable feeling in the pit of my stomach. Camp is my safety net - it is the only place that I have found, thus far, where I can truly be myself. Spending two months away from the place that has had such a strong impact on my upbringing is going to be one of the hardest things I've ever had to do, but I'm going to do it with faith that whatever this summer brings will be just as great of an experience.
With a heart full of anxiety and the drive to succeed in the summer internship that I received in New York City, I'm moving forward in my life and letting go of my past. I'm ready to create new memories and I will always carry the old ones in my pocket.
I advise you all to do the same.
Email: keren.baruch@ubspectrum.com
