It is July 4th, 2018, at a 70-acre summer camp in West Apopka. The night is clear, fireworks booming, and myself and ten other teenagers are walking through the woods.

A fascinating fun fact: When one sense is dulled, the others are heightened in a biological miracle, allowing even those with a natural disadvantage to not only survive, but thrive. In our case, the world was darkened not only by the blanket of the night sky, but by the blindfolds securely tied to our faces. Rarely, if I may say, do you see people saying it’s a phenomenal idea to be blindfolded. Even rarer, do you see someone who actively recommends being blindfolded on an incredibly dark night, especially on a rather root-ridden trail where just a year prior I had seen a counselor badly sprain his ankle.

And yet, I have never felt safer. Truly, so much can be learned by abandoning fear and the heretical idea of logic to take time to absorb the world, if only one has the courage to do so. 

Blind faith is a concept I used find weird. Trusting in someone so strongly that anything they did was word, not questioning it? That is a concept I have always struggled with. Blind faith, and the complete and utter loss of control it gives, is a terrifying concept for me. Humans strive for control over their lives, and the courage it takes to put unyielding faith in another person and completely leave everything about oneself in their hands is not a courage most people have. It is exhilarating and beautiful at the same time- allowing myself to look at someone and decide I felt safe enough trusting him with everything about myself for a short period of time is the freest I have ever felt. I have trust issues. I have had trust issues for a very long time, so the act of looking at this man- one who I have known for years of my life and admired for the same period of time- and understanding that there was no ambiguity that I felt towards him, that the emotion I had never properly been able to place towards him had actually been blind faith, was an important one. 

I allowed him to lead me through the woods blindfolded. I allowed him to tell me things I did not understand, and I allowed him to remove my sight while simultaneously opening up my eyes. I have not looked at him the same way since. Seeing him years later after that fateful night, understanding exactly what he had shown me that night, and being able to look up at him and tell him I finally knew what he meant, the protégé finally becoming the master. 

I went to bed that night understanding many things: what it meant to be cherished, what it meant to be vulnerable, and most importantly enough, what it meant to have blind faith.