I went camping the other day with two girlfriends. It can seem like a lot of work for one night unless you know what you’re doing and have a system worked out. Our entire campsite was up and complete in 20 minutes. I admittedly forgot the coffee for the next morning, but aside from that we were set. Our phones didn’t work there, and we were set up with the backdrop of a forest behind us, quietly nestled away from anyone else at the campground. A river trickled nearby which we could hear as we slept and we ate, drank and laughed our way through the afternoon. Then something incredible happened, after the sun had set and we were sitting by the fire in the dark, we saw lightening bugs. At first I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me, but the whole forest was suddenly filled with flitting lit up fluorescent bugs. It felt utterly surreal and brought me to my knees, the joy and magic of seeing them all, after never witnessed them before, for me was something else. After 15 minutes they were all gone, or perhaps just their glow had finished for the night. It was this beautiful fleeting moment, that I am still riding off. The moon came out shortly after, bathing us in white, and we fell asleep to the sound of the river and owls.
It brought me back to the fact that no matter how challenging a time it is, throwing down a swag in the middle of nature, and just being present, is the most amazing and grounding experience that is like filling up our tanks for the times ahead. We spend a lot of time in nature daily, but there’s nothing like sleeping under the moon and stars.
I hope you get to go camping or immerse yourself in nature soon.
Jac x