Beaches, going on vacation, popsicles and going to camp, all made up my definition of summer as a child. Summer would not have been complete without all of those things.
But more than 10 years has passed since those happy, simple days and looking back, I can still remember it like it was yesterday; the friendships I made with my counselors in particular. I still remember Serena who drew pictures with me, Tyler who taught me different games, Mikey who made me laugh until my stomach hurt. Not only were they my friends, they were also my role models. I looked up to them and knew that I wanted to be one like them one day.
Now I am the counselor that I used to look up to all of those years ago. Doing camps, this time as a counselor, reminded me of the simple pleasures in life: sharing, learning something new, running around with friends, things which I had forgotten while I had been too busy growing up. More than that, while my campers will probably not remember me 10 years from now, they may fondly look back and reminisce about the fun times they had when they were in camp. The thought that I can help them have an experience to look back on, makes it all worth it.