A little fact about me is that I grew up in the Lake Erie Islands in Ohio. For three months every year since I was five, I would spend my summer in a little trailer off of the shores of Catawba Island, nestled next to a blue and white ferry leading off to Put-In-Bay. It was a joke upon my family and I to call our trailer a "Lake House" because we all knew the reaction would be "Does it have a bathroom? " Within the last few years, I became lazy with saying this over, and over, and over again. I now loudly and proudly state my unique childhood, and it has taught me three valuable life lessons. When people first hear of me living in a trailer during the summer, they are puzzled, but when they visit, they rush for their next visit!
Don't be so serious
A central aspect of the kids and I who grew up in this association is that we can entertain ourselves on any level. Internet was scarce as children, so we made the most out of what we had. Our primary source of entertainment was playing tag with our parent's golf carts, prank calling a Taco Bell at 1 am telling the cashier that we found "Iguana parts in my taco", making up new games every day as we jumped into Lake Erie, star gazing, and watching drunk tourists come off the ferry every Saturday evening. The important note is this: we still do all of these activities, and the majority of us are in our twenties. It showed me that one does not need too much to have a good time in life and that we all deserve to act like a kid once in a while!
Break Out of Your Shell
It is safe to say that the kids who grew up in this park are quite the social butterflies, and it is not a surprise as to why. Growing up here was like growing up in a small village, everyone knew you and wanted to know more about you. I was taught at a young age to go out in the open and to forbid any fear of shyness. A tradition in the park every 4th of July was a golf cart parade. This meant decorating your golf cart in elaborate décor and showing it off to a panel of judges. Most people would think of putting up a few flags, streamers, and confetti, but in reality, it was the Ru Paul Drag Race of Golf Carts. I was dressed up as anything you could think of, may it be the Tin Man, The Godfather, Fred Flinstone, or Donald Trump. It taught me not to be afraid of stepping outside of the box. As long as there are people who are there to support you and laugh with you, what's is the point of ever having to worry?
Be Simplistic
No greater message can you learn from living on an island than being simplistic. I am as materialistic as the next person, but I noticed that there is a time for everyone to retreat, breathe, and unwind. It is a safe bet that I become a different person when I am in the park. I don't do my hair, check my phone less, and I become more thankful. It may sound cliché, but it is true that there are only so many things needed in life to be happy. For Christmas, I would get the new Animal Crossing game for my DS or the newest edition of COD, but what I truly will remember during my childhood is searching for water snakes, flicking May Flies, walking to the ice cream shop everyday, singing "Good Night Mr. Sun" as the summer sun fades, tubing around the islands and being sore the next morning, and taking in the little things in life.
