Single Parent Will Camp…Despite Little Bit of Fear
By on June 26, 2017
I have learned that if I have strong feelings about someone or something, I’m going to be challenged to either deal with it or change. One example is my previous hatred for sushi. I couldn’t understand why people would pay so much money for raw fish and soy sauce. Gross. I was often asked if I wanted to try some and would always say, no thank you. Then one fateful friend urged me to just try it again and she even made the soy sauce and wasabi mix for me. Fine, I’ll try one bite. Guess what happened? Yep, I loved it. I even craved going out for sushi again! My list goes on and on, to the point that I’m almost scared to challenge the Universe with a strong reaction to something I think I’ll dislike. So for once, I decided to beat the Universe to the punch and tackle something I’ve always said I didn’t like. Camping.
To be clear, I tent camped a few times as a kid and even had one summer of camping in a 38’ travel trailer when I was married and my daughter was young. Both experiences were okay, but camping wasn’t living up to the expectations and pictures that I saw in the brochures at the camping expo. I think it was because we stayed in private campgrounds where everyone was on top of one another (plus drunk and shooting arrows at a fake deer), but it could be that I had unreasonable expectations of the experience. I do remember packing all my MAC make up and coffee bean grinder. I know, I roll my eyes now too at that version of me. No matter who or what was to blame, that camping experience was the last time I did any camping. And in true form I swore that I would never, ever camp again. Kiss of death statement for me, because guess what I’m getting ready to do? Yep, I’m going camping as a single mom with just my daughter.
I have to admit that if I let myself, I might be a little freaked out about my upcoming camping trip. First, I’ve never pulled anything in my life and I’m getting ready to pull a popup camper to 9,000 feet. I’ve also found that everyone has a camping horror story that they love to share! …the time the wind blew ‘them’ off I-25, the bear that opened their car door and of course the usual Colorado bull snake that was 20’ long and slithered into the tent at night. The stories could freak me out, but I’m not going to let them. It’s probably just a test from the Universe and I am not biting. I am doing this and we will have fun! Remember Chevy Chase/Clark Griswald in Vacation, “This is no longer a vacation. It’s a quest. It’s a quest for fun. You’re gonna have fun, and I’m gonna have fun… We’re all gonna have so much *&^&*%^ fun we’re gonna need plastic surgery to remove our *&%$ smiles!”
On the flip side of being a little intimidated and scared, I’m also really excited! This is an adventure and one that just my daughter and I get to go on together. I decided that I do not want being a single mom to equal not trying new things and going outside of my comfort zone. In fact, it pushes me to try new things and be extra aware of how I’m living my life. For me, a big part of being able to enjoy the upcoming trip is letting go of my expectations. I’m not expecting camping perfection, but I am looking for an experience together. I don’t know how this whole camping thing will go. My daughter is NOT an outdoor kid and loves her technology more than she should. I’m more known for enjoying really nice hotels and choosing comfort and convenience (hence the embarrassing make-up/coffee bean grinder story). Don’t judge – I’m trying to be a better me. Knowing this about my daughter and me, I also know we need this camping trip to not just have an experience together but to also push ourselves and grow.
I promise you this; I will share the good, the bad and the embarrassing about this trip. I feel like as single parents we want to see someone go ahead of us and see how it goes for them. I’m totally fine being that warrior. Yes, I said warrior on purpose because by definition it’s means a brave fighter. I feel like to go on this journey I need to have both parts, bravery and have a good fight in me. And to finish with a quote from the genius Clark Griswald, ‘Oh Ellen, the old west was dirty. Everything isn’t like home. If everything were like home, there would be no reason for leaving home. ‘
xoxo Melissa
