[season 3; trip #3]


memorial day weekend: bennett spring / lebanon KOA; arrive saturday, depart monday

Image result for quotes about slowing down


it's the wednesday after memorial day and we're just 2 sleeps and a wake up from our next adventure. this friday we're heading back to my original stomping ground in north-central missouri. there's a nice rv park with some fun things to do that's only about 10 minutes from the town i grew up in. i'm looking forward to seeing some family and taking another weekend to "slow down fast". 

since we're getting into the meat of the season i'm excited to do that more and more in the coming weeks. it's the real reason i love taking our travel trailer out. slowing down and reconnected with self, nature, and family feel so necessary and refreshing. i remember spending hours at state park campsites as a child doing...well, nothing. not literally nothing, but nothing in comparison to regular life. the nothingness is powerful. there is beauty in just BEING and just being TOGETHER. 

mindfulness is something i've tried to devote more energy to the last couple of years (find a primer here)and there's no greater place to practice than during the slow-down of a camping trip. it allows me to clear my head and really feel, think, and notice. 

one thing the "camp slow down" allows me to really notice is time. to feel a day linger over me from morning until night is an incredible feeling. i love the non-travel days when we wake up and go to bed at camp. the sunshine wakes us up early, always, but it never feels rude. it's more of a nudge to open your eyes. no matter what we do, the day feels like a whole summer. it's awesome. the setting sun seems to always lull us all a sleepy haze, even at 8:45. 

time isn't the only thing to notice on camp time. when you're not worried about 100 other things you notice other little things, like how good the sun feels on your face, and how one simple cloud can change the temperature in a flash. you notice the funny circular pattern of your son's cowlicks when his head is in your lap during an afternoon rest. you notice the feel of gravel below your feet and the dialects of campers next to you. the sounds of the campfire. the shape of a tree. on and on i could go. 

one thing that's been really satisfying for me this year, is seeing ryan take on some of these slow down characteristics. i'll never forget the first several times we went camping. the kid was bouncing around in a pinball machine. he needed to be entertained 24/7. this weekend noticed more stopping on the trail. more examining plants, rocks, and insect sightings. he played with leaves, picked grasses, found interesting twigs, and noticed the grooves of the tree bark. in this own ryan kind of way, he was being mindful of his world. i could've burst. 



there are a lot of things i don't know, but this i know for sure: when we come back from a camp slow down, i usually feel more grateful, more centered, and more ready for the road ahead. that, in the end, is what i want for my family, too.

[he]

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