Mother’s Day morning. I’m on my way back home after spending the weekend on a solo camping trip. I was too nervous to take the camper by myself yet…so I made myself a nice bed in my Bronco and away we went. I didn’t want to let my anxiety hold me back from what I wanted to do….so I made it work!
I pulled into camp right around 6:00 on Friday evening. I was giddy to discover that I could see the lake through the trees right from my campsite.
Being near water instantly lifts my stress. It’s like a balm for my soul.
Saturday morning I was up and about early and headed out for a hike. It was glorious. I didn’t encounter a single person, but saw so many birds…many of them I couldn’t even identify. I stopped for quite awhile and watched this pair of trumpeter swans.
The rest of the day I relaxed at my campsite. I was in a quiet loop with lots of empty sites around me. I took a nap in my camp chair. Did some writing. Enjoyed a campfire. Did a lot of thinking. And picked off ticks….so many ticks.
One of the things I thought about yesterday was getting comfortable doing the things by myself that “nobody” else does alone. Like camping. I got an array of responses from people when I told them my plans. Most of them were along the lines of “that sounds (fun/brave/awesome) but I would never do that”. Truthfully, I wouldn’t have either before now. Even eating at restaurants. Right now I’m at Tobie’s eating breakfast….only one by myself. There are a lot of mixed feelings…wishing Jason were here beside me…but also feeling powerful and badass in my developing ability to give myself what I need.
Time to get back on the road to my kids! Happy Mother’s Day!
Love, Tennis, and Cancer 