By Sophie Kaplan 

When I was the age of the Galil campers, I distinctly remember making the promise to myself that I was going to be a good friend, and it was and is really important to me to always be there for my friends.

That summer, I went on the Galil hike, as Galil campers do, and my best friend was struggling throughout the hike. And where was I during this hike when my friend was having a hard time? Chatting at the front of the pack with the hiking specialist, having a jolly good time. I felt really bad about leaving her behind.

Since then, I have talked about my friends behind their backs; I have been jealous of the time my friends were spending with their boyfriends instead of me; I have said the wrong things and made a lot of apologies. I tell you all this not to dissuade you from being my friend or trusting me (actually, if you ask my friends, they will tell you that they feel very lucky to be my friend!), but because sometimes the promises we tell ourselves are really hard to keep:

-I promise to wake up to my first alarm.
-I will clean my room this weekend.
-I am going to be a news reporter when I grow up
-I promise to not wait until the last minute to study for an exam
-I promise to be a good person, a good friend

We all have expectations for ourselves, and we all make mistakes because living life and making decisions can be super tricky. So of course, try to keep your promises, but please forgive yourself when you break them. 

Sophie Kaplan is the Galil unit head and is celebrating 13 years at Harlam. She currently lives in Philadelphia, PA and will start a new job as a second-grade secondary teacher in the fall.