It feels good to have a perfect weekend and I love the variety that this can represent. Like sometimes for me a perfect weekend is getting a lot done that I’ve been unable to keep up with or sometimes it’s doing nothing at all. Then there are those weekends we take a quick family getaway and come back Sunday afternoon refreshed. Perfect weekends can be well planned or spontaneous it doesn’t really matter but what does count is how you feel afterwards.
I’m not that into camping. It seems a lot of work to prepare for, lots of stuff you need and then you sleep on the ground. Sleeping in a bag on the ground is the most uncomfortable thing I think I’ve ever done. Then on top of not sleeping well there is the whole getting up in the night for the nearest tree which is not only weird for me but also sorta freaky. I don’t enjoy not knowing what I may also run into wandering around at night outside looking for a tree or food. Other than that camping is great! Being outside, not having cell service and hanging out reading, hiking and being with nature is actually pretty cool.
My son and husband love camping. I try a couple times of year to be a good sport but I seem to have a 2 night maximum on how long I can go before I am just ready to be home with a bed and indoor plumbing. I admire women who hike and camp and their freedom to be comfortable in doing those things. I didn’t grow up camping and didn’t go camping for the first time until I was in my 30s. Perhaps that’s why I haven’t really gotten the hang of the whole how to sleep in a sleeping bag thing and like it? Or maybe after a certain age you become more of a glamper type of camper?
This year I promised my son we would go camping and I would go too. I really wanted to camp at the beach to be honest. I thought it would be cool to wake up next to the ocean and hopefully the campsites were beach sand and not stones. I’ve been gearing myself up for this little weekend camping adventure for a couple months now. It would be great I’d tell myself. Think of how you won’t need to worry about a shower because you can just go swimming in the ocean!
The truth is sometimes we do things for our family because we know they really enjoy something. In these times it can be super hard to go with the flow because you’re not comfortable or having fun. That can really take away from the idea of what a perfect weekend can feel like too. In truth it doesn’t have to though and I’m using this experience as a way to prove that to myself. I think even if we’re not having the best time or we’re doing something that’s not really our thing we can still make it one of the most memorable times ever. I’m going with my two most favorite people in this world so how could I not at least try and be open in sharing something important to them?
The beauty of this process is I am using it as an opportunity to look at how I let life flow in this area. It’s about letting go and letting someone else be in control. Not an easy thing for me at all. I’m out of my element but at least with the beach involved it may hopefully feel a little more like me. I can learn from this adventure to see how else it can help me evolve and grow. This won’t necessarily mean I’ll end up loving camping but it means I’m open to new things that are uncomfortable, out of my zone or not my thing and still learn, enjoy, connect, bond and more. Also what else could this open me up to?
So, I started Pinterest board with camping recipes and made a shopping list of all the things we’d need. I intentionally looked for ways to get excited about this time while also making sure I could find ways to be comfortable in a tent in a sleeping bag, going potty by a tree. I made sure the air mattress didn’t have any holes in it and there would be ample batteries to run the pump for it. As we plan for this weekend I started to have fun with the preparation and stuff we were taking for this little trip. Wow you sure need a lot of gear! Yet in every step of it I focus on what we would be doing and hearing those ocean waves in the back of my mind. Our son would remember this trip like all the others with fun memories and excitement for doing something he really likes to do. I’d take pictures and we’d play Uno, swim, hunt for shark teeth and find some new things to laugh about.
In the end, I think this can be a fun perfect weekend with my family. Deeper though it is an opportunity for me to build my own openness to what is possible. I believe this is only possible when we challenge ourselves out of our comfort zones.
So, how will you have the perfect weekend?
To aid me in working through lessening my control and being open in this experience I have been using doTERRA Sandalwood, Arborvitae and Cypress. These wood aromas are not because of camping but rather because they instill in us the ability to let life flow without our control. They support feeling grounded while allowing openness to transpire so we learn and grow.
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