2018 was an inspiring and expansive summer of wandering, discovering, and being nurtured by nature.
Patti’s 2018 Top Ten “Discoveries”
Goin’ Camping and writing a book about it
1. Tents wear out, especially when pitching 39 times in 4 months.
2. It is easier to find Wild than Natural. (I’ll let you think about that a bit)
3. Other Campers come in all kinds of shapes and characters. I have a list! I often wonder what shape and character I am.
4. Its important to go “Home” often. “Home” to our wild natural planet that is. We are not separate from but a part of nature. Go “Home” and Re-Connect!
5. I’m SCARED of the DARK. I can’t even talk about it right now.
6. Apply the Art of Wabi-sabi: The Beauty in Things Imperfect. In campgrounds, in camp sites, in being a novice, at nearly everything! I took 1,077 mediocre pictures of my excursions. But they’re my perfectly imperfect pictures of my excursions.
7. Solo seclusion is a double bit axe. One side, total solitude, which I found magical. On the other I felt exposed and vulnerable when isolated. The question became which is more valuable to me.
8. Camp Kitchen! Savoring a meal cooked outdoors cinched the knot for me this past summer. Hint: choose a few select items that multi-task really well (i.e. garlic salt, a sauce/fry pan).
9. Ask your self to arrive and let the wild world around you fill you up. The Japanese call it Shinrin-yoku (forest therapy). I call it Nature Bathing (before I even knew it was a thing). My experience it takes at least 18 hours to arrive.
10. Consider your relationship with water and her frozen sister ice. Because camping, you will use more, possibly need more and will most definitely want more than you ever thought you could and it may not be easy to get. Are you a water gobbler? Pretty sure we all need to work on that one.
Wandering into the wilder parts of my little part of the planet, brought me, my body and my soul, to places I have never been, nor could I ever experience until I met them face to face
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“My awareness now expanded in ways I have not yet learned to articulate” – Rumi
Thanks for following along with me! Looking forward to a year of more exploring and camping.
Hope to see you around the campfire in 2019!
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