Between Seasons

A month ago, we wrapped up another summer season at camp. The final days were filled with the usual goodbyes, last-minute packing, and the bittersweet moment of driving down that familiar road one last time. It’s a transition I’ve grown used to over the years, but nothing could have prepared me for the feeling of returning just a month later. So much had changed.

As I arrived for the board meeting this weekend, the camp felt oddly unfamiliar. It wasn’t just the quiet that struck me—though the absence of campers’ laughter and counselors giving instructions made the place feel almost hollow—but the physical changes. Leaves that had clung to the trees only a few weeks ago were now scattered across the ground, painting the trails in reds and golds. The smell of camp was different, too—a hint of autumn where summer’s warmth once lingered.

It was as if camp had gone on fast forward, racing ahead while I was away. In just a month’s time, the landscape had shifted, preparing itself for the next season. And in that change, I felt something I hadn’t quite expected. As sad as it was to leave after the summer season, coming back for such a brief visit felt even harder. Camp had already moved on, and in a strange way, I hadn’t quite caught up.

But perhaps the most challenging part of this weekend wasn’t the shift in seasons—it was being away from my wife and child for the first time since our son was born. While camp will always hold a special place in my heart, I’ve never felt such a pull between two worlds. There’s the camp world that I know so well, where I feel at home amidst the mountains and the trees. And now, there’s the new world I’m building with my family, where every moment feels like a milestone, and every day brings something new.

As I left camp again, this time for a much shorter stay, I realized that both worlds are part of me now. The challenge isn’t in choosing one over the other, but in learning how to balance the two. Just as the seasons change at camp, bringing with them new colors and new smells, I’m learning to embrace the changes in my own life. And while it’s not always easy, it’s a journey I’m grateful for.