Sincerenity

Have you ever been camping?

My husband and I always go camping a few times every year. We love camping! Our camping experience improves every time as we learn how to plan and pack more effeciently.

Camping isn’t for everyone, but it’s something I really enjoy. In fact, I can think of 3 ways camping is a very healing experience for me.

1. Nature

Ok, that one is a little obvious, but in all honesty it’s the best part. How often do I have a whole weekend just to be connected with nature? I work a desk job, so it’s sadly not very often that I spend very often around nature at all. My days are spent in a home cooking and cleaning, driving in traffic to and from work, and sitting at a desk. While I’m grateful to have all of those things, it is because of them that camping becomes a real treat. The air is fresh and clean, and I can really tell the difference from the heavily polluted area I live in. The sound of the trees and sometimes nearby streams is just something that is beyond words.

Connecting with nature is one of those things I hear people talk about all the time, but when I actually apply it into my own life, I understand. It feels so healing because it feels like where I belong. It’s like a way of grounding and what I call “bringing myself back”. I feel like I get so caught up in my suburban 9-5 lifestyle, that camping a few times a year is like a refresh or a restart in some ways. I wouldn’t want to camp for more than a couple nights at a time, but camping a few times a year to get myself into nature definitely heals my soul.

I think it’s because it makes me feel alive again. When we’ve been driving for a while, escape the city, travel through the winding road into the mountains, find our destination and I step out of the car and just take a deep breath of actual fresh air – that is why I love camping.

2. The Quiet

It’s no secret that camping spots (usually in the mountains) are quieter than living in a suburb or city. It’s easier to wake up early when I’m greeted with the gradual light of sunrise and the growing sounds of birds chirping, rather than waking up abruptly to an alarm.

I don’t mind camping for a weekend in areas with no cell service. In fact, I prefer it that way. Camping is truly a vacation in my eyes. Stepping away from the noise of social media and other notifications is like a detox, which is why it feels so healing.

But it’s also often loud in my own head sometimes. My thoughts are constantly spinning with my to-do list, things I’m stressed about, things that are coming up, as well as my hopes, dreams and goals.

When I go camping, I feel a peaceful hush fall over my mind. For the weekend I’m camping, it’s not that those things aren’t as important or don’t matter, but they feel much less urgent and draining on my mind.

3. The Simplicity

The air has a special chill and crispness in the morning. It’s very cool and has a slight chill but it’s not too cold. Stepping outside to be greeted with fresh dew on the grass and nature’s own quiet morning routine. There’s no honking cars of people late to work, no to-do lists, no projects that are due to upper management. Just nature, doing it’s own thing at it’s own pace.

There are many activities to do while camping. Hiking, playing in lakes, four-wheeling, roasting marshmellows, but probably my favorite activity is to sit by the fire or by the lake and write. Since my mind feels more peaceful and quieter, it feels as if my mind is more open to myself. I can ask myself anything, and it’s a great time to evaluate my goals and how I’m doing. It’s time to just ponder.

I also love just closing my journal and just sitting. Just existing. Just sit and observe the leave shaking in the trees, the brids gathering berries, the fire dying down.

Another thing that feels more simple while camping is the food. Need breakfast? Let’s throw some bacon on the pan over the fire. Need lunch? Here’s a sandwich. Need dinner? Here’s a hot dog. Plus, food tastes so much better when it’s cooked over a real fire.

Simplicity can also be found in what we pack. We only have the bare minimum with us and the essentials. Only what we need for a couple days.

Overall, things seem so much simpler when camping.

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I always love coming home, taking a hot shower, and laying in my nice warm bed, but it certainly is nice to take a break from life now and then and go camping, reconnect with nature, have some quiet, and enjoy some simplicity.

Now if you’ll excuse me, it’s that time of year for us to go book some campsites for the summer 🏕️