A cold wind grazes my face as I lift my eyelids. It lingers in the room, stopped in time. Light from the window reaches my face, forcing me to pull the blankets over my head. My sister breathes lightly in the corner, stuck in a deep sleep. After short contemplation, I lift myself out of bed and open the door to the day.

The house is quiet despite all who are sleeping in it. There is something special about being the only one awake and the first to experience the day. The wood is cold on my toes as I grab my swimsuit from the railing. It’s still wet from the day before, but I don’t care. I pull the stretchy material on with a shiver that only makes me happier.

I run from the house down to the dock and leap into the lake in one motion. The water takes over my mind and body, and a feeling of happiness surrounds me, like the sunlight in my room only different. It is smooth and pure and cold and amazing. It may last only a few seconds, but it feels an eternity.

My face feels the cold air again as it breaks the surface and I swim back. A towel is waiting for me, and I lie on it, taking a moment to relax and stop in time. The sun is climbing over the mountains but is in no rush. I smile. This is what happiness feels like.

Then the smell of bacon hits my nose, and I become alert. I sprint back to the house and find my sister and friend. We laugh and talk about what we will do today, although we don’t need to do anything and we know it. Summer is our only responsibility, and we are determined to use it the best way possible. It is comforting to have no set plans. I am oblivious to the world, and it is paying me no mind in return. School is a thing of the past, and responsibility cannot find me here. I am in a place filled with serenity, where stress is only a word, not a feeling. I can laugh, I can smile, I can scream at the top of my lungs. No one can hear me.

We run out to the dock, with the faint yells of my friend’s mom reminding us to put on sunscreen. I grab the tubes; my friend grabs the chairs. We feel our feet burn on the dock, but the sense of carelessness is present again. I pull a life vest over my suit and jump on the Jet Ski. My hands grasp the key with excitement, and the machine roars to life. I back out, and adrenaline creeps into every part of my body. I clench the handle and fly away. Water glides below, and wind runs its fingers through my hair. I close my eyes for a split second, to feel everything that is happening – the sun, the wind, and the water. Everything is perfect, and I am a part of it.

Warmth radiates from the fire in front of me. The night has taken over the day, presenting a different environment. My face absorbs and welcomes the heat like an old friend, as the smell of sweetness makes its way to my nose. A sticky marshmallow substance attaches itself to my skin, and my hands pull and pull until all hope is lost. Laughter comes from my mouth as I realize it is in my hair. Music makes the moment even better, filling the forest with foreign sounds.

I sit surrounded by darkness, but I am not scared. The fire and my friends are right in front of me. Someone shouts and we all follow to the lake. We escape into the darkness and are greeted by the moon. Swimsuit-clad bodies surge into the water as screams of excitement fill the air. Heads bob on the surface as boats pass by and fireworks shoot for the stars.

We may be in our own world, but we are never alone. Sometimes quiet is needed to reveal the joy of those around you. The Poconos is a place where happiness is found in the middle of nowhere and where peace is finally felt by those who need it. I may come back here in a year, a decade, or an eternity, but the way I feel now will always be the same: happiness as pure as the lake, the wind, and the water.