Every summer, we do the tried-and-true thing with my kiddos—as soon as school lets out, they head to our local YMCA for day camp. Despite being on a break from the drudgery of the school year, their daily Y attendance forces us all to maintain a schedule. We develop a new routine, something that helps my kids feel a sense of balance as we transition to a new season. Both of my sons have ADHD and my youngest son also has autism, so as a family, we need structure for our survival.
But as most adults know, the only constant in life is change. So, even though it’s my intent to settle into the rhythms of Y camp drop-off and pickup, this coming summer demands something a little different from us.
In the time I’ve worked as Editor at Northstar Publishing, I’ve pulled double duty as an MFA student in Bennington College’s graduate-level Writing Seminars. Next month is my commencement, for which my family, including my boys, will travel to Vermont. They’ll arrive just before the weekend, explore the campus, attend the ceremony, and then stick around for a few days to sightsee. This summer, we’ll embrace unfamiliarity and novelty, leaving the Y behind (for just a few days). We’ll do summer differently. And I think we’ll all be better for it.
That’s what sticks out to me about this month’s stories—novelty.
In Moreno Valley, Calif., adults gather and face off in a nighttime egg hunt—an activity we typically associate with kids. In Tulare, also in California, kids write letters to Jack Skellington from the film The Nightmare Before Christmas during the Halloween season—a fall riff on Christmastime letter-writing to Santa. And there are other stories like this throughout the issue, in which the unexpected surfaces in games, partnerships, or ideas.
It’s a reminder not only to sidestep our routines and abandon our preconceived notions but also to remember that there are many, many forms of recreation—lots of which are waiting to be discovered.
As you read this issue, if there’s one takeaway I hope you grasp, it’s to examine your programming, your schedule, your community, and look for the novelty. If you let go of the familiar, even just a little, you’ll be surprised at what emerges. Here’s hoping I gain a ton of fun stories from family time in Vermont—and try out a new experience or two while I’m at it.
