Alone-With-My-Thoughts

Have you ever been camping?

As a child my family camped less than a handful of times. We had a camper that my parents purchased for my dad to take when he went hunting. I remember riding my bike in the woods during our camping trips.  It was a freeing time in life.

During my adult years, I have camped in tents, campers/rv and cabins. Although I like them all, there’s something about tent camping that I really enjoy. Cooking on an open fire with little modern conveniences. Total freedom from the world’s expectations. The sounds of rustling leaves, the wind, birds and nature’s various wildlife.

For me, its not about the amount of work a camping trip may be, it’s the sheer joy of escaping into the unknown that has always been a peaceful way of spending my spring, summer and fall months.

After a specific breakup, I took a long weekend and spent it camping in a small tent, just me and my youngest child (who was a baby at the time). It was a difficult time in my life but I found it a way to spend some quality time with my little one, clear my mind, forget my worries and reconnect with nature.

There are the unpleasant things that I am not fond of. You know, the bugs, snakes and flying insects. Let’s not forget the poison plants (sumac, poison ivy and oak) that I’m “highly” allergic to and still to this day, cannot visually recognize. Then there’s the loud and rowdy campers and the rain. But set aside all of these unpleasentries, camping in general is a great escape.