I need a summer camp

First week of my summer and I have to say I am finding it difficult...pick up your jaw from the floor and let me explain.

Ever since I could remember my summers have been scheduled.

I was given a choice of camps, but the only stipulations were that

- I could not be inside the majority of the day

- It had to be a full day program with early drop off and late pick up

- I could go to as many camps as I wanted BUT in total it had to span the entire summer (with some time off for family holidays etc)

So I would scour the town summer guide for the best camps, offering the best programs - pool days, field trips to the zoo, water parks and the clincher - the "end of session shows".

At a young age I joined the camps my friends attended - one of the fondest memories being of Mrs. Lee's art camp. For one week (if I remember correctly) 10 girls would take over Mrs. Lee's art basement and backyard to paint t-shirts, jean jackets (all the rage) among other things. Art was not my strong suit - but since a lot of my friends including my still best friend Jennie were signed up, so I was compelled to go. I would pout and beg Jennie to help me with my painting, and if i could find these masterpieces you would be able to see a clear difference between my work and the young budding artist in Jennie (or at this time in our life - Jenny). I put up with the art for the small theatre we did - for the session Mrs. Lee would create a lunch murder mystery - featuring a royal family, costumes and even an afternoon of etiquette lessons. To this day, I still maintain excellent table manners and I am usually the first to instruct others of which fork does what or what each glass is for.

Paired with this I joined a camp on Seneca campus and often did two back to back sessions of two weeks. After one summer made a good circle of friends that I would go on to spend 4 consecutive summers with - and later meet two of them 8 years later in University. It was here that I found my love of the stage and writing.

Summer to me was not about cottages, or sleeping in, or pool play dates. It was about making new friends, spending the day laughing, rolling in the grass, group games with a much needed popsicle break. It was about team sports, tie-dyed shirts, baseball hats and backpacks with a extra shoes, a lunch I often swapped or shared and loads of sunscreen that I never applied.

The day would end and I would spend dinner regaling about the day's event, who's who and maybe even who I had a crush on.

Now, years later I approach my first "summer off" and I have no scheduled job to attend, I have 2 teams that I am apart of - occupying 3 nights of my week - and I still miss the steady schedule of a summer camp.