Huffing and puffing, I climb down three sets of stairs to my kitchen bags sprawling over my shoulders. My mom is evil. It is the first week in July- the week of Summerfest. Summerfest is the most exhilarating and gratifying week of the year. The week that, of course, I was missing. Where was I going? Traverse City, Michigan. Traverse City is a place where people don’t really belong, except my Grandpa Bill. I chuck my bags into the car, secretly hoping my mom would give in and allow me to stay home for the week. This didn’t work so well and, to make things worse, my mom plops my two fluffy, garbage-smelling golden retrievers into the car. This may make me seem inhumane. I love them, but riding in a car with them for six hours- not so much. Each mile traveled meant another tear streaming down my cheek. No concerts and no friends meant no fun. Some may call me dramatic; I call myself realistic. 

After the longest six hours of my life, I am “home.” In a forest with few people present. I guess I can understand how one may enjoy this type of living. No people talking to you, no people to bug you. But what is there to do in case of an emergency? I was in a forest with no sign of life. This is simply not for me. My head goes to the worst place. I think to myself, “Wow, I am going to get eaten alive out here.” For all I know, a bear could walk up to me and chow me down like a puppy begging for yet another treat. I decide to calm down and loosen up a bit. After all, the peace and quiet can’t be that bad. I walk down through 186 miles of weeds to go for a swim. The water was murky and filled with goop. But hey, it did the job. I feel refreshed. 

After a long night of sleep in my grandpa’s unwashed sheets, I wake up to a striking pain in my left ear. I get up to tell my mother, and we rush to urgent care. I find that I have a severe ear infection. Just another thing to make this trip worse. I suck it up and the days, surprisingly, go smooth. 

The day I had been anticipating was finally here, it was time to go to civilization. On the long ride, my dogs snuggle up next to me and lay their long snouts on my lap. Although they did carry a slight wet-dog scent, I appreciated their company. The love and affection that they bring is tremendous and heartwarming--something that I wouldn’t trade for the world. At this exact moment, I realize how much I love them and how this past week wasn’t THAT bad. Sometimes, it is important to take a break from the world (even if I was really looking forward to going to Summerfest).  Clearly, there are way bigger problems in the world. But sometimes, it is okay to be selfish for just a smidge of time.