:: dirty feet :: textures in green and brown :: the ziiiip of a tent zipper :: a roof of moonshadows :: staying up way past your bedtime :: naps here and there, whenever you feel tired :: feeding the "wild" life :: a first canoe ride with daddy :: teaching my son to roast the "perfect" marshmallow :: the kids being too busy to fight :: sleeping through a thunderstorm :: the cold baptism of lake water :: the fun of wrestling with your cousins :: wolves howling in the late-night darkness :: the simplicity of all I hold dear in one little tent :: making do :: a smoky cup of Earl Grey tea :: reducing your wardrobe to a bathing suit and a towel :: clearing my schedule of all but walks to the beach, knitting, and reading :: having time and the presence of mind to be present with my children :: thinking of only the moment I'm in ::
There's nothing like camping to give you perspective on what you really need,
and what clutters up your home, your head, and your time. My children learned so much from
this week in the woods. Seeing them blossom under my undivided attention
taught me a lot, too, about how I chronically overbook myself and my time.
Thank you, trees and sunshine, leaves and sky, for reminding me of something I
all too often forget: that THIS is life. Feeding my children, playing with them, putting them to bed when they're tired IS life. All the other stuff is just...stuff.
There's nothing like a week in the woods to remind you of what you already knew.
Lovely. So glad you had that time to just be.
ReplyDeleteLooks wonderful!
ReplyDeleteIt would be so great to be able to bottle that feeling.
It's hard to trap the spark but we have memories to keep us going. I'm off camping near Arnhem with Ammerins and my 2 kids tomorrow. I'm looking forward to a week of canvas, bark and antics!
ReplyDeleteAgreed! I wish we had made the time to camp this week while we have vacation. We had to also consider our ailing dog that we had no one to care for that we trust. But, i took my kids camping at the beginning of august and it was everything you spoke of, and then some. Glad you found some solace...hold onto it.
ReplyDeleteBlessing and light,
Kris
I haven't been camping in years and your post has put a seed in my brain. My girls must camp! I'll work on some plans for next summer, perhaps once I find someone to come with us and show us what to do.
ReplyDeleteI've been browsing through your archives all week and I love your blog, especially your posts about the pretending and the frustration that sometimes goes along with a house full of family. And all the good stuff, too.