First Real Break from Vacations

I like the fact that I can look out my window and see green instead of just a road. Lots of trees if I look out at the right angle. That makes me happy, especially since I'm not camping this year. I don't dare ask for that many days off, especially when we have a hard time keeping up with everything as it is.

I've gone camping in the summer since I was 6, almost 7. I know it's not for everyone. Some people don't like the bugs. Some people don't like the sleeping arrangements. Others don't like the food. Lots of people want to be squeaky clean. I know there are a lot of reasons not to camp. But they don't get to me.

I'm not saying that I like the bugs or that I appreciate the dirt. I'm definitely not saying that I don't miss my bed when I camp. But camping does something for you that you can't get just by visiting nature. But you have to go for more than three days. That's because the first and last day, you are setting up and taking down and getting everything ready for whatever. You want at least two days to really camp, but I recommend taking 5 days of real camping. That means you need to spend a week out there, so bring your quarters for the laundromat and be prepared to stop at your nearest piggly wiggly to grab more ice and food. That way you don't have to pack so much and you won't feel so dirty.

The best parts of camping are plentiful. I like to go where there is water. A lake or a river nearby if only to clear your mind at night. Fishing is great, too. Life tells you to finish things quickly, but fishing...well, the whole point of fishing is to be patient. You must be hold still, watch and feel the rod for any slight change. Your senses become acute, but not because you have a pressing task at hand. It's because you know that eventually, something will happen, and you are ready to respond at a moment's notice. But until that happens, you can enjoy the stillness of the moment, the chatter of squirrels and songs of birds, the slow movement of the lake or the rythym of the quick river...you get to just be there, and you don't have to do anything for a majority of the time. It's those few moments and all you have to do is wait for the right moment to set the hook then reel in and cast again. And then you don't even have to worry about what you'll eat for dinner (unless you are like me and you don't like fish, but your fellows campers usually don't have a problem eating what you catch).

But even if you fish there's still plenty of time left in the day when you aren't cooking or cleaning. Reading, board games, crafts, stories, boating, card games, hiking, indian rain dances, writing, 4 wheeling, thinking, napping, tanning, stargazing, roasting marshmellows, birdwatching, exploring...what else? I know there's more.

But the sad part is that my wrist hurts and that's all I can type right now. I should've stopped typing earlier. Sorry I don't have a clever ending or a point to this post. I have to quit for now.