Sometimes the lessons of life are just that simple.
When my oldest daughter Sophie came home from Emma Kaufmann Camp a few days ago, she returned armed with some life lessons and a new outlook on how she wanted to conduct herself. She said she wanted to work on her. She wanted to be a better person. Not a bad outcome from three weeks at sleep away camp.
Her counselors had conducted a couple of interpersonal activities and my 13-year-old daughter took them to heart. Sophie brought home a sheet of paper, with about 30 lines of single-spaced Tips on Life. Sophie’s counselors, not too many years past Sophie’s age, put together a road map for the girls in the Park 3 Bunk to read and remember. It included some of the simplest rules of life which at times we all forget, but want to remember:
It is okay to ask for help.
You do not need to be strong all the time.
Nobody is perfect and everybody is fighting their inner battles.
Be kind.
Treat others how you would like to be treated.
Not everything you learn in life will be in a classroom.
Anything worth having is not easy to attain.
Love is not supposed to be painful, true love is easy.
Love is not a maybe thing, you know when you love someone.
Do not be reckless with other people’s hearts and do not put up with people who are reckless with yours.
Do not be afraid of life, it is meant to be lived.
Live your life with no regrets.
Try your best with everything, it is better to try and fail then never try at all.
Do not put your happiness in someone else’s hands.
Destiny is for losers.
It’s not an excuse for things to happen instead of making them happen.
Be independent, go to movies and eat alone sometimes.
True friends are rare and hard to find.
Surround yourself with people who truly care about you.
You will have friendships that last a lifetime and friendships that fizzle out quickly, this is normal.
Is inner beauty important? Inner beauty is very important.
A kind heart will shine through.
Love like you have never been hurt and live like you were dying.
And then there was this line at the end of the letter: If you had a friend you knew you’d never see again, what would you say? If you could do one last thing for someone you love, what would it be? Say it. Do it. Don’t wait. Nothing lasts forever.
We love you all so much and had an amazing session with you. Have a great year!
Love, Leah, Julia, Sarah and Ashley
Thank you young ladies. In the span of just a few weeks, you helped my girl to think to change and to grow and to find the desire to become more. There were life lessons learned and experiences to last a lifetime.
Until next time, thanks for taking the time.
Mark