This summer, I was blessed with the opportunity to work at a sleepaway camp in the Poconos Mountains. When I accepted the job, I immediately envisioned Hallie Parker and Annie James in "The Parent Trap" and assumed I would soon be responsible for similar ear-piercing, poker-playing, Oreo-loving preteens. Boy, was I wrong.
Unfortunately, summer camp didn't help me discover the long-lost twin sister I always wanted, but it did introduce me to some incredible kids who reminded me that adults take life way too seriously. In between my freak outs and meltdowns, the girls always notified me that "it is, like, totally not a big deal" and although that response got very old, very fast, they were actually right. Why was I lecturing them for making obnoxious farting noises at 2 in the morning or for giggling every time their soccer coach said the word "balls"? In two short months, my bunk unintentionally taught me so much about myself and about life, but eleven specific lessons made the biggest impact on me:
1. Nothing in Life Will Go Exactly How You Planned It
While I was freaking out that our yoga class been canceled one afternoon, I looked over to see my girls joined an intense game of dodgeball (*cough cough* and ended up being the champions of the tournament!) I was so set on getting my Downward Dog on that I didn't even consider just going to join a different activity. Life is going to take you in unexpected directions, all you can do is try to make the best of it.
2. To Enjoy the Simple Things
On the Fourth of July, we got Krispy Kreme donuts for breakfast, and words can't even describe how painfully loud the shrieks and squeals of 500 little girls were when they discovered the holiday treats. The kids talked about the consumption of that plain glazed donut for days and although I got tired of hearing about how amazing it was, I was impressed with their appreciation for something so ordinary. I think if everyone had the mentality that something as simple as a donut was the highlight of their week, we would be so much happier.
3. Don't "Yuck Someone Else's Yum”
This was a phrase I had never heard before camp, but it quickly became one of my favorite lessons and our Bunk Motto. If the person next to you loves tomatoes and you keep blabbing about how gross you think they are, how is that going to make your friend feel? It's fine to have differences, but it isn't necessary to make others feel bad about liking something. It's not difficult to keep your thoughts to yourself and hate the heck out of those tomatoes (internally).
4. To Always Be Silly
Even in some of the most inappropriate moments… my girls were laughing constantly. At first, I really didn't see what could possibly be that funny all of the time. Regardless of the unknown answer, I guarantee you they were always having a lot more fun than everyone else around them. Life is too short to be serious about everything, whether you're 8 or 80, it's ok to make farting noises and giggle at the word "balls".
5. Don't Keep Toxic Friends In Your Life
As a nineteen-year-old girl, I'll admit, when someone hurts my feelings I don't always have the courage to stand up to them, usually because I'm embarrassed or afraid of being judged. When I told one of my campers about a friend who hurt me, she immediately said "No Lex, that's not a friend. Don't keep her in your life if she makes you sad. Only be around people who make you happy." She makes it sound too simple but truthfully, it is. We all deserve to be surrounded by people who lift us up and make us better.
6. Don't Be the Toxic Friend
Following up on my previous point, don't be that friend. I had to have talks with kids every now and then because believe it or not, girls can be mean to each other (gasp!) One camper was so innocent and couldn't understand why everyone in the bunk was mad at her, "Well, maybe it's because you told [insert camper's name] she looked like a cow in that outfit..." I suggested. Sometimes we don't realize we're hurting the people we care about, but I think if everyone put more effort towards making our friends feel special and loved, none of us would be that friend everyone is trying to avoid.
7. Boys Will Be Around Forever
When the other girls were sneaking off to hang out with the boys, I was surprised to see that my bunk was tucked away in our cabin, talking and laughing about who-knows-what. When I asked why they didn't join the other girls, they responded, "We always have boys at school, but we only get the summer with our best friends." This melted my heart and reminded me that yes, boys are awesome, but don't let that ever distract you from the humans who love you most and have been there for you from the beginning. That super fun girls night that you missed out on for the guy who low-key treats you like garbage, can never be duplicated.
8. Everyone Gets Insecure
Whether it was a girl staring in the mirror, concerned about how her body looks or the entire bunk making out with my hand for 45 minutes in preparation for (potentially) getting their first kisses, I realized that every age and everyone gets insecure. Sometimes I feel like I'm the only one who gets worried about little pointless details but honestly, nobody wants to stand out in a negative light. We all worry about something, we all overthink things sometimes. Don't be insecure about being insecure, it's normal and it's ok.
9. Kindness is Contagious
One day, on a field trip outside of camp, I gave my leftover food to a homeless man that we walked past. Throughout the following week, I noticed one specific camper going out of her way helping everyone when they needed an extra hand or wanted to borrow something. I eventually asked her what had sparked her change in attitude and she said, "You made that man so happy when you gave him your food, I wanted to try making my friends happy and have a giving heart like you always tell us to have." This sweet girl and sweet conversation showed me that kindness is truly contagious. I didn't even know she saw me give him my food, but similar to that scenario, you never know who could witness a good deed and be inspired to help another person out.
10. It's OK to Act Your Age
As a kid, I always tried to act older than I was. After watching my girls try to cake their faces with expensive make up and dress similar to my college peers, I had a mini heart attack. No!! Enjoy this time where you can get away with blue eye shadow and ugly mismatch outfits, you're never going to get that phase back (at least without getting some odd glares.) Looking back, I never enjoyed the present, whether it was wearing heels or my first push up bra, I was always so focused on the next stage of maturity that I was graduating to. This time with these eager girls made me appreciate where I am right now, there's no need to rush, enjoy this exact part of your life because you're going to look back and miss it.
11. How to Catch a Rat
Unfortunately, this is one lesson I could have lived without. Let's just say that my girls really liked candy, and the camp rats liked their candy even more. In case you were wondering, it takes fourteen screaming girls, one crying counselor (me) and a broom to scare a rat away. By the end of the summer I was pretty much a professional and could get rid of the rodent in under 3 minutes, can I put that on my resume?
