Reset

Breakfast while camping: partially burnt sesame bagel with lukewarm veggie cream cheese

What is it about sleeping on the ground and zoning out around a campfire for hours that makes camping such a relaxing experience?

I'm some version of a hippie, but living in Boulder County, CO, I can safely say that, by comparison, I'm in the lower 5th percentile as far as true hippies go. Still, though, there is something so calming about being in nature, where it's silent and starry and simple, that's just like hitting the reset button on the alarm clock of my life. I never feel so far away from traffic and schedules and tv and stress as when I am camping - no matter where or with whom.

Of course there is a flip side: this utter relaxation is sandwiched by stress and mayhem. In anticipation of the camping zen, I am always stressed in my preparations. And, the moment I leave the dirt road, the stress seeps back in again.

It takes a balanced soul to carry that calm through to everyday life. I aim to try, but I know that half burnt bagel wouldn't taste nearly as good at my dining room table.