If you love something set it free. This quote, overused by sappy girls on Tumblr, does in fact have a deeper meaning. While it sounds counterintuitive (because who would ever want to let go of something they love), it can be applied to most situations I've encountered. More specifically, it accurately describes my separation from my one true love, Goldman Union Camp Institute.

Sleep away camp is a rite of passage for most teens who are fortunate enough to be able to spend an entire month of the summer away from their parents. My sleep away camp in Zionsville, Indiana was my home away from home for five summers. Nicknamed GUCI, it's where I learned so much about myself and working with others, where I found a deeper connection to my religion, and where I built bonds with people that can never be broken. It'll always have a special place in my heart. Although it sounds cliché, camp helped me break out of my shell, and for that I'll be forever indebted to my middle of nowhere piece of paradise.

Camp is a safe haven for many children who don't have ideal lives at home, a place where they can build relationships with other kids who share many similar attributes, during a month that allows them to completely disconnect from the outside world. I started going to camp the summer before 7th grade, and I didn't stop until the summer before my senior year of high school. My camp counselors were my role models, and I still look up to some of them to this day.

The last summer I went to camp, I spent nine weeks giving back to the place that has given me so much. I washed dishes on kitchen crew, plunged toilets on maintenance crew, mopped and bleached on infirmary crew, and dealt with an algae epidemic on pool crew. I lived in a building with my best friends, took naps on our porch hammocks, and got to see camp behind the scenes. Although I no longer experienced the GUCI magic that was so evident during my years as a camper, and I took part in all the hard work that makes camp possible, I was so excited to come back the next summer and become a counselor. I had always aspired to be a role model to my campers that my past counselors were to me. But then something happened, and that thing was college.

I convinced myself I'd still be able to spend the entire summer at camp before school, but as I quickly realized, this was not going to be possible. I applied to the University of Florida for summer and so, as fate would have it, my freshman year began at the end of June. This made a return to camp impossible, but it has taught me even more about myself than GUCI ever did.

There comes a time in life where you outgrow your past. Getting older and moving on has made me realize that although camp is a wonderful place that helped me develop a personality and evolve into a leader, some things are best left in Indiana. It's nearly impossible to spend an entire summer disconnected from the outside world now that we have jobs to compete for and internships to pursue. Last summer I started school while some of my friends went back as counselors, and this summer I was able to study abroad in Italy and get a job with a marketing company while the same friends are at camp. Don't get me wrong, I am so jealous that they are fortunate enough to be able to devote an entire summer to their campers, sleeping in cabins and getting minimal pay. But I'm here waiting for school to start. Although it took me a while to get over my FOMO and to realize that there was no way I could fit camp into my schedule, I know in the future I'll send my kids to sleep away camp and that puts me at ease.

So GUCI, we need to talk. I think it's time we break up, but don't worry it's not you, it's me.