Camping. Why do we do it? Because it’s fun to pack, load, set up camp, get and stay dirty for a long time, sleep poorly, get injured, break camp, unload, unpack? Is it the roasted marshmallows and campfire coffee? Well I, for one, don’t think so.
We camp because something in us knows we need a break from what we’ve made of our lives. We sleep indoors, rush to a car that takes us to another building where we sit or stand indoors for another big chunk of our day, then rush back to our cars which take us back to our home buildings. There, we usually just have enough time to eat inside, bathe inside, before we’re back to sleeping inside.
My life isn’t all that structured. I’m a (mostly) stay-at-home mom to 2 young kids. I get outside a little more than most, I suppose. But even so, I still feel so disconnected from the “real” world. I mean the earth with all the rhythms, sights, smells, and sounds of nature. I often miss a solstice, or a full moon. I haven’t seen a shooting star in years. I’m often surprised when the wildflowers start blooming or when I wake up to the first cold morning of the season.
I believe there was a time when people didn’t miss that stuff. That was the stuff of life. I want to get back to knowing what the promise of fall smells like. I want my kids to smell like outside.
Modern parents worry so much about what might happen to our kids if we let them “explore” a little without close and constant supervision. What will happen to our kids if we don’t?
So, let’s go camping a little more. Let’s make our backyards a place to play and explore and learn from the earth. Let’s play in the street with our friends and neighbors. Let’s get OUTSIDE!
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