George Crosby Manitou State Park

I started the day listening to a recent talk given by the Dalai Lama. Luckily I could think back on this when Saudi Arabia was in the news and I started to become infuriated by the United States alliance with and support of a country with such horrific human rights.  I remembered how he'd answer a question with, "That situation is very serious," and then two minutes later be laughing and jolly again.  He reminded me of a floating bobber, you can push it down, but it will just pop back up.

***

I did end up going camping last weekend, right now in fact I am drinking the last of the water that we filtered out of the river and remained in my water bottle.  After we returned I sent a few photos to a few friends, including my best friend from high school who I met with when she was in town recently.  We hadn't seen each other in a few years, though we'd had a couple long phone conversations, including one on my birthday a year and half ago during my temporary break-up with my partner.  Because I so rarely talk to her and we had such a good/long conversation, she really was an angel to me that day.

After I sent the photos she replied, "The pictures are wonderful!  Thanks for sharing!  It is always nice to put a face with a name.

Your camping adventure sounded very rewarding.  I have no desire to camp in the cold weather.  But, it looked liked you were prepared - mentally as well as physically!"  

 

And it's true, we were prepared.  I thanked my community ed fitness teacher for all the squats she has us do.  And Mr. Winter (as my former manager calls him) set up tarps over our food prep area and the space where we kept our stuff.   This photo below was taken during some of the brief sun that weekend, it was mostly cloudy or drizzly.  So if I needed to add a sweater, I could go under a tarp and take off my raincoat without getting all wet.  And my sleeping bag was for -15F so cozy and warm.

  I was truly surprised to be so comfortable with a high of 48 (9 C) and a low of 35 (1-2C).   It certainly helped that there was zero wind and the rain, though off and on, was always light.

When we left Mr. Winter said he had a feeling he didn't quite have the words for.  This morning the words came to him and I have his permission to include them here.

Subject: I think I figured it out

Good morning Babe,

Remember, I think it was while we were packing the car after our hike out when I told you how there was a feeling about the weekend that I didn't quite have the words for?  Well, on the walk into work this morning it came to me. First the backstory, remember two or three or so weeks ago I rhetorically asked why we seemed to "be" in different places so often? This morning I identified the feeling I couldn't identify as the two of us being in the same place at the same time. The whole weekend I felt that you were there because you wanted to be, not because of me. I wanted to be there with you and you wanted to be there with me... we were in the same place at the same time. It was an amazingly beautiful weekend that meant so very much to me. Being there with you like that was a dream come true. I'm no longer an outdoor lover who's girlfriend is at home or where ever. Please don't take this as an expectation that you'll be going to the edge of winter/wilderness camping with me. I will do my very best to help plan safe and slightly challenging trips with you. I'm just enjoying allowing the memory of this weekend fill my being with gratitude and love.