Don’t take things for granted
Walking home from school with music blasting is the best feeling. Jumping over cracks in the sidewalk as if I were five again. Sadly, as soon as I arrived home my dreams were crushed like a bug.
“Grb grb grb-“my mom started saying.
“What?” I asked confused. She made a motion to take the earbuds out. “Oh,” suddenly realizing why I could not understand.
“How was school, honey?” She asked very earnestly.
“Fine. What’s for dinner?” I whined.
“Well, I figured-“
“Mom I am sick of everything you make. It’s always disgusting!” I exclaimed rudely interrupting her.
“Well good because when we head up to the mountains-“
“Mountains?” I practically screamed in her face.
“-you can cook your own meal,” she responded without even skipping a beat. “You better go get packed, we will be up there for 3 days.”
“Mom, this is how my Memorial Day weekend is going to go?” I complained, “I wanted to hang out with my friends or play volleyball or do anything besides go camping.”
“Sorry,” she replied simply as if she didn’t care about my social life. Just then my dad walked in.
“How are my girls?” he asked.
“Just wonderful,” my mom and I mumbled in unison. The only difference was I was being sarcastic, she wasn’t. 
“Better go get packed!” I ran away avoiding any more time with my mom.
  One hour later as we were driving in the car, yippee, I was mumbling the whole way about how this wasn’t fair and I should have been able to stay home because I am responsible. We drove, and drove, and drove, and drove some more.
Once there, I hopped out of the car like my life depended on it. Looking around I saw how beautiful the surroundings were and how green the pines that prickled on the trees were. I hated to admit it but it was sure beautiful up there. There was a cute little blue stream just on the right of us. My mom was smart choosing this area, it was clear, yet still had trees around it to feel like real camping.
“Kacey, honey, we bought you a tent that’s huge so you won’t feel out of place,” my dad, so generously pointed out.
“Steven, I thought we decided we were going to sleep under the stars”, my mom spoke in a fierce whisper. “Kacey will you go scout the area?” she added. I walked away grumbling but I don’t think my parents were all too concerned about me at that point. “Kacey, one more thing if you get lost follow the river,” I didn’t respond although I nodded to make sure she knew I was listening.
Soon I found myself at a crossroads. I went left. The next crossroads accompanied a cute little log. It had fallen off a high branch. After about thirty minutes, I decided to turn around. Which direction did I come from? Oh no. My mom and dad flashed through my mind, the cute little house on Maple Street, and my friends. The realization of what was going on came over me as if I had just been splashed with water. I am lost. Taking in my surroundings, I saw a river that ran like a weak horse struggling for its last breath. All around me there was pine trees, green with bristles, a green emerald. Finally, as I turned to my right I saw a patch of dandelions. About a hundred feet deep and fifty feet wide. In this forest of pure green, a little yellow was the perk I needed. My first decision was to look around for clues to which way I came. I walked straight ahead seeing that nothing looked familiar; I turned around until I found the dandelions again. The yellow, a safety blanket. The bright orange sun had started to fall, shelter was my main priority.
My instincts kicked in as soon as I couldn’t see the sun anymore. I need to find trees close together. Well good thing I’m in the forest. Okay, I found trees. Next, I need to find rope of some sort. Walking around with my head down I stumbled on a large stick. I picked it up and dragged it over, very slowly to my trees. Okay, now put it between the trees. Once that was done, my jacket was fashioned over the stick. This made a crappy tent, but at least is was shelter. Slowly, I drifted off to sleep my last thought was about my parents and how they were responding to this terrible event.
Six hours before sunrise I awoke, before my eyes could focus I heard low, loud, and grossly wet breathing. Realizing it wasn’t mine I bolted upright, only to find a huge, bear towering over me. Thinking back to my first aid training I remembered that if it was a black bear, you want to stand your ground and don’t play dead. If it’s a brown bear you want to play dead. Very slowly, I turned my head, trying not to make any sudden movements. The bear stirred for a minute. At first, my eyes would not focus and I couldn’t tell, then they focused. It was a black bear, with eyes like the color of coal. I stood my ground and didn’t make any advancements or move at all. It started to circle, a predator stalking its prey. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity the bear took off in the direction of the bright yellow dandelions. I let out my breath. I didn’t realize I was holding it.
Grrrrr grrr grrr. Great my stomach is making noises like a whale. Better find my way back, or at least some food. I started in the direction of the dandelions when I remember something my mom had told me just yesterday. Follow the river. I ran over to the little stream. Which direction was it flowing at our campsite? It was flowing down river. I leaped as fast as I could over to the stream and followed it down river. Soon, the little yellow safety blanket was out of sight. I quickly came to a crossroads. It had the fallen tree near it. So, close. Finally, I found the clearing, more importantly my parents. “Mom! Dad!”, I squealed so very happily.
“Kacey!” they squealed in response. “Where have you been?”
“Oh, ya know fighting bears, making shelters, you?” I calmly asked without hesitation.
“Bears?” my mom squeaked.
“Shelters?” my dad asked with a sense of pride.
“Yes and let me tell you, I really don’t like camping,” I spoke in a half-laugh half-breathless voice. We sat in silence for a little while, just hugging. Finally, my mom broke the silence.
“Sorry I dragged you up to this camping trip in the first place, I just used to come here as a little girl, my Papa would point out the different constellations and tell me the stories about them while we sat under the stars,” my mom wistfully whispered. My dad put a protective arm around her.
“Well, it sounds like you enjoyed doing those things, I am just pointing out that it really is not my cup of tea.” We really didn’t talk much the rest of that trip. Once we got home, I didn’t tell my friends about this experience up in the woods. They might think I was wimpy or such, but I will never forget this Memorial Day weekend 2007.