To Be 15 Again!

Yes, I'm in this picture...hint the jeans are tightrolled.  What can I say...it was the 80s!

At this moment, I wish I was 15 years old again, spending my summer in the heart of the Adirondack mountains, on quite possibly the most beautiful lake in the entire world.  This has been happening to me every June since 1993...my first summer not spent at sleep away camp.

I'm green with envy.  Today is the first day of camp at Point O' Pines and even though I am grown, married and have kids of my own, I can't help but feel jealous.  If I had the chance, I would go back in an instant.  Call me crazy...nope, just obsessed.

Right now, as taps has already blown, the girls are settling down into their bunks for their first night.  The little ones with mixed feelings...some missing home while other's jump right in, as if they never left.  Then, there are the new girls that are scared of the unknown.  They are completely unaware of the fact that their lives are about to change...forever.  And, then there are the girls that are more excited than they have ever been in their lives, yet deep down the pit has already started to form in their stomach knowing this is the last summer they get to do this.  I have been in each of their shoes and I truly know what lies ahead.

Even after all these years, I can still close my eyes are hear the buzz of the dining room, the ring of the activity bell through the trees (sorry girls, the majestic pines), the sound of shoes on the pebble lined street and the creaking of the bunk doors.  I can still hear the whirl of the boats and the waves lapping on the base of the campfire circle.  I can taste the candy we were never supposed to have and the watered down bug juice.  There are songs that I hear on the radio now, that will forever have different words and I can't hide my smile when I see a little girl in a French braid, Keds and or a white t-shirt and blue shorts.

For some reason, it's very hard for me to describe in words everything that camp has added to my life.  I think I knew at 7 years old that I was experiencing something so very special. That feeling has not faded and no matter where my life has taken me, I always feel at home on the grounds of camp or with my camp friends.

And, speaking of my dear, dear friends...we always just pick right up where we left off.  We reminise and laugh, telling the same stories we have for years.  It's hard to explain to those that didn't get to experience sleep away camp, what these friendships mean. 

My parents went to camp as did their parents before them. It's in my blood. They realized all the potential, learning opportunities, independence and fun that was ahead of me when they put my little 7 year-old self on a plane from Chicago to Albany...alone...for 8 weeks. Now that I am a mom, I can't really imagine what that felt like -- but they did it for me and I'm so glad that they did!

So, I will go to sleep tonight wishing I was wrapping up a game of jacks, checking out my new winnings after "gambling for stationery" and crawling into my squeaky bottom bunk with my Archie comics, fan at my feet and my best friends around me!