Utopia’s fall retreat to Camp Becket at Berkshires served as a truly beautiful experience for both children and mentors and was the perfect way to start the semester. From gathering around a campfire, to canoeing on a lake, and gazing at the stars, the camp was filled with many memorable activities.
However, I’m mostly good at writing about my feelings, so by telling you how I felt, I’m going to give this article a little twist.
Fall is my favorite season. I love everything about it, the colors, the sweaters, the weather, everything. I love walking through the woods and hearing the leaves crunch beneath my boots and feeling the cool breeze against my skin.
But I’ve never experienced it like this.
I’ve never experienced it with other people, or in actual woods for that matter. I’ve never slept in a wooden cabin or seen a perfectly clear night sky. I’ve never been so mesmerized by the stars, or by the sound of a bright flame licking and cackling wood. The sound of leaves crunching beneath my boots I once enjoyed, was replaced by laughter and conversation, the feeling of cool breeze against my skin, by warm smiles and people.
As I watched everyone gather around the tables for dinner, playfully joking around and speaking of the day’s adventures, I realized something. I realized that Utopia was my family. As I watched the leaves fall, swayed gently by the autumn wind, I realized that I trusted it wholeheartedly, and as I watched the sun setting between the trees and reflecting on the lake, I realized that it made me happy.
I’d like to thank Utopia and everyone in it, for not only giving me the chance to shoot an arrow at a target, but for giving me something to look forward to every week, for giving me people to confide in and make memories with, and for being the first to ever make me feel this way.
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