As school was quickly approaching, my group of closest guy and girlfriends and I decided to make the most of our last weekend of summer together. We figured a road trip to a good friend’s fishing camp in Port Sulfur, Louisiana, was the best possible solution to comfort our back-to-school gloom.        

Although no one really knew how the camp got its name, Happy Jack’s Camp was a place anyone could go to for a quick escape from reality. We spent our day escaping the blazing heat of summer by tubing in the open canals of the bayou. In the last few moments of daylight, we feasted on barbequed pork and homemade potato salad, the best flavor combination of summer. Despite my fear of heights, I made my way up the wobbly ladder propped up against the boathouse to join my friends admiring the sunset after dinner. The pinks, reds, and yellows melted together to reflect in the glassy water of the bayou. As a combination of both classic rock and country music played in the background, we settled down and watched Mack’s parents below us slow dance to the music. We became inspired by their love for each other, so we then began to mimic their efforts to the best of our ability. On the rooftop, girls and guys paired up, and we continued to switch partners as the music remained playing. I realized just how fast time flew by because we were not worried about anything else that was going on in any of our lives. As we were paying no mind to anything around us, someone said, “Y'all, look up!” The sky above me was now charcoal black, and millions of tiny specks glistened in the light of the full moon. The number of stars left us speechless. We stopped dead in our tracks, sat down, and tilted our heads up to the sky, our feet dangling off the side of the boathouse.

Sitting on top of that boathouse and dancing with every single one of my friends made me realize that -- even though the pressure of the upcoming year was hovering over me -- there will always be peace in my life if I take the time to look for it. I now understand that, no matter how many challenges I will face in life, I will always have a great group of people around me to show me the beauty of the world around us. Who would have thought so much joy and serenity could come from a fishing camp in the bayou?