Hello, and thanks for checking out my page! The summer has gone by way too fast, hasn’t it? By the time this blog is posted, I’ll be back from camp. I don’t know about you, but I’ve been having the best summer. Sleepaway camp always has drama (you can check out Hurricamp! and Miscommunicamp! to read about my experiences from previous years). This summer was no different. In fact, my author friend, Steph Katzovi, is helping me write another installment of my sleepaway camp adventures as we speak.
For today, though, I have a story about what I’d call a mini-drama that happened on a camp field trip. I’ll get into all the details in a moment, but the short version is that I was trying to buy a souvenir for my big sister, Jill (and also a little something for me). But my act of kindness took a little longer than planned. It held everyone up, and they got upset with me. I guess you could call it a souvenir slip-up. The experience taught me a big life lesson: being respectful of people’s time is important. When you put your own needs above others—even if your intentions are (mostly) good—it can cause problems.
Here’s what happened…
“Scoring” a camp field trip
While sleepaway camp is super fun without having to go anywhere, camp excursions are what I consider “bonus fun.” Camp Hillside has always planned amazing excursions for its campers—whether it’s going to the Rock-n-Bowl for bowling and arcades, the water park, or overnight camping trips. This year, Bob and Dotty, our camp directors, came up with a new one: a trip to a minor league soccer game.
For those of you who have been loyal readers of my blog, you know that I LOVE soccer. It’s my favorite sport to play and watch. So, you can imagine how excited I was to be going to a soccer game. Especially with all my friends. What was so special about this excursion was that only the seventh and eighth graders went on the trip.
Not to be rude, but going with the younger bunks like the Chickadees or the Sparrows can make trips slightly less enjoyable. And louder.
Although I don’t mind little kids in small numbers, bigger groups of kids are tougher to manage. And there’s often a lot more crying. (From them, not me!) Not that there’s anything wrong with crying.
I knew that an “older campers” trip was going to be a blast. At least I thought so until my souvenir slip-up.
It’s the thought that counts
The soccer stadium was about an hour away from our camp. This meant a bus ride, which is always entertaining. More than ninety-nine rounds of “ninety-nine bottles of milk on the wall” later (that song gets annoying really fast), we finally made it to our destination.
The stadium was pretty crowded. We had just enough time to make it to our seats before the match started. Although I didn’t know the teams that well, there were several great players. I paid close attention to their technique and strategy. There might be something I could try in my fall soccer league.
My bunk’s counselor, Francine, said we had about fifteen minutes before the camp van was picking us up. If there was something that would really make this trip memorable, it would be a souvenir, I thought to myself. I also happened to have some spending money in my pocket.
And that’s when the souvenir slip-up happened.
Foul play
There was a slight line at the souvenir stand closest to our seats. So, I convinced my best friend, Aries, to join me in looking for another stand a little further away. Before we left, we told a few of the girls in our bunk where we were going. I know it’s important to be safe, especially when you’re traveling in groups.
When Aries and I got to the next souvenir stand, it also had a line.
Rather than going back and forth between stands, we decided to get our souvenirs from the second, farther away spot.
It took me only a few minutes to pick out something for myself and my big sister, Jill. Why not share some of the joy from our field trip, right? Plus, I knew my parents would be proud of me for thinking of my sister. (I also secretly hoped Jill would get me a souvenir if she ever went on a field trip. But here I am, getting off the topic. Let’s get back to the story!)
Unfortunately for us, the line moved a lot slower than we’d realized. As in, very old turtle, slow. It took longer than I’d thought it would for the souvenirs.
After we finally paid for our souvenirs, we hurried back to the group. What we didn’t realize was that everyone had been waiting for us. Apparently, for a long time.
And now the entire group was annoyed at me over my souvenir slip-up.
Getting benched
Francine, who is usually incredibly nice and hardly ever gets upset, was angry. Like steaming mad. “Noodle and Aries, where have you been for the past half hour?”
“Aries and I went to get souvenirs. But the lines were really long,” I said. I knew now wasn’t the right time to show the group what I’d bought. “I did tell a few of the girls where we were going. So, it wasn’t like we’d disappeared.” I hoped Francine could see my side of things. The part about good intentions and doing something nice. Not the part about losing track of time. Uh-oh. Francine still looked irritated.
“Yeah, we didn’t go too far from the group. Just down there a bit.” Aries said. She pointed to the souvenir stand that we’d come from a little ways away. Aries was a good friend. She always had my back.
“The point is, you weren’t ready when it was time to leave. We’re now behind schedule. So, we can’t stop for ice cream on the way back to camp.” Francine was not usually this tough. I’d really made a mess of things.
Hearing the news about no ice cream, a bunch of the campers started to grumble. And I’m not talking about their stomachs. I felt terrible. My souvenir slip-up cost us ice cream!
I wasn’t sure if I could say anything that would make things better. Maybe there was something I could do?
Hitting the crossbars
“I’m very sorry. I didn’t mean to delay everyone so much.” I felt a huge pit in my stomach. I desperately wanted to make things right with the group. “Can I pay for the ice cream?” Maybe if I offered to do something nice, Francine and the other campers could see I was sorry.
“Noodle, it’s not about the money.” I breathed a sigh of relief when Francine said that. Thank goodness, because I didn’t have enough money to pay for everyone, I thought to myself. But then Francine hit me with some tough feedback. “It’s about being considerate of other people’s time. And sticking to schedules.” I nodded, my head hanging low. I felt somehow even worse than before. My souvenir slip-up really cost me. And not just in the money I’d spent on a couple of gifts.
I don’t regret trying to be nice by buying a souvenir for Jill. However, I should’ve been more thoughtful about the amount of time it had taken. I’ll never know if staying in the first line would’ve changed things. Though perhaps I should’ve bought the souvenir another time. Like at halftime. Then, if I’d missed part of the game due to a long line, it would’ve only inconvenienced me.
Either way, my soccer match souvenir will now remind me of two things: how fun the game had been right up to my souvenir slip-up, and how important it is to be respectful of other people’s time. I guess you could say that learning from your mistakes—especially when you’re at a soccer match—is a good goal to have in life. Pun intended.
Until next time, be your best you.
Do you have any stories about learning an important lesson from an experience? Please share them with me in the comments section!
