For such a fantastic summer, I was really depressed for a seven year old. My summer had been spent with all 15 of my cousins, for the third summer in a row. I was about 3000 miles from home, but I couldn’t have felt more comfortable. We would play at the beach, something I was definitely not accustomed to, pick blueberries, watch movies late into the night, make forts, and just have fun in the best way any kid knows how.

However, unlike my cousins, I had also dedicated my summer to something other than them. I wanted it to be a summer of great accomplishment. I was going to learn something new, something I had never done before. I was going to tie my shoes.