Drop-Off

In some ways is just another summer camp out of dozens of summer camps.

Towels and sheets wrapped up in a sleeping bag. Sunscreen and bug spray in a Ziplock so they don't contaminate T-shirts and shorts in the duffel. Last-minute runs to WalMart for forgotten items. ("Yes, you should take a hat--it's going to be a thousand degrees here, and it's better to have one and not need it than need it and not have it.")

But this summer camp is oh, so different.

This is the one that sets the framework for the next four years. He'll meet the hundred other new freshmen who will be his classmates and roommates and teammates while he's at this university.

I found myself looking at the other campers, trying to not embarrass him but wondering what was behind those excited faces. Will you be the class clown? Are you the over-achiever? Will you be the organizer and cheerleader? Will you be the one who helps him get through calculus? Through the first weekend?

Who are you?