Camping alone is my new summer love. I never grew up camping and sadly we never took our kids camping while they were growing up. We did send them to camp, but it's not something we did as a family. I stumbled onto my solo experience by accident.
Now that my kids are grown I wanted to start a family reunion tradition in the summer to make sure there are two times a year we can (hopefully) connect. I thought, hey, let's go camping!
As providence would have it, the dates had to be changed in order to accommodate everyone's schedules, and I had a week booked at a great spot that no one could make.
I decided to go by myself.
It was the best thing ev-ah!
This year I purposely booked the same site, for two weeks this time.
- Stop the rush and the hurry. I don't know about you, but I always feel like I need to go faster and do more. When I'm camping, I'm off the clock. I fall asleep easy at night because when my mind automatically starts thinking about all the things I have to do the next day, it comes up with nada!
- Time to think, pray, meditate. I can sit at the edge of the lake, my feet in the water and let my mind go. I can just BE.
- Unplug. I purposefully get off the grid – no social media, no internet. It sounds scary, but it's wonderful. Trust me. I pretend it's 1974. Somehow people got on back then without it.
- Connect to nature. When you're not going a million miles a minute, you have time to take in what's going on around you. Monarch butterflies, humming birds, ant hills, a snail on its slow journey, hawks, fish jumping, mama ducks and their cute little babies, Canadian geese, Blue Heron. That last one was on my beach, only ten feet away. Magnificent to see it up close and then fly away with those long wings.
- Truly rest, mind, soul, and body.
Since my spot is only ten minutes from my house, I'm not without company most days, but I do love those quiet mornings, sun on my face, coffee in hand, and waves lapping my toes.[bctt tweet=”Did you enjoy this article? Click  here to share on Twitter” username=”LeeStraussBooks”]
‘Truly…rest, mind, soul and body’ -that is indeed true. Bringing down the seemingly inevitable timetables of life for whatever simply happens to be in one’s very proximity and presence… As to where God likes to meet…with no agendas!
I love camping also. By myself, with a friend and my kids. It is refreshing & a special time to be with God.