We finally camped in a tent!

Tent camping had been on my to do list for a couple years. 

Marley loves to be outside. Like 24/7. My child would literally live in the backyard if we let her. Our family takes an annual fall camping trip to the Shenandoah Valley (well, it’s annual now!). Last year, we booked a Getaway cabin and it was amazing. Marley really wanted to sleep in a tent, and honestly, so did I.

Months ago, I took Marley on a road trip, and we booked someone’s RV using AirBnB. Again, Marley asked when we were going to sleep in a tent. This summer I bought a tent and pitched in the backyard. It was hell. I didn’t sleep at all. Meanwhile, Marley was knocked out, and woke up even more eager to go camping with our tent.

Camping stimulates negative emotions for me. For example, boiling water to bathe at the campsite reminds me of boiling water to bathe when we didn’t have hot water at home. Cooking on the camp stove reminds me of cooking on a hot plate because our gas was cut off. Walking around with flashlights at the campsite reminds me of using flashlights because our power was turned off. The idea of doing any of these things for fun just hasn't been appealing. But in many ways, going camping represented a certain freedom, luxury, and privilege that I’ve never really experienced.   Now, let me be clear: camping and experiencing homelessness are not the same things. But those feelings are super strong.

It was really hard to explain to my kid why I felt so many big emotions about camping. If you’re looking for an age appropriate way to explain homelessness to kids, check out my children’s book, “A Home Like Mine.”

Well, I DID THAT SHIT.  What started as a goal to make my kid happy became an exercise in overcoming my childhood trauma and experiencing the joy I deserve. For so long I’ve craved the freedom to just live. To do things for my own enjoyment or amusement simply because I want to. Though I’m a bit over a decade removed from poverty, most of my life was spent struggling. I’m just learning how to live without worrying.

You should know that I absolutely was not about to be out there roughing it. We were pretty comfy! I’ll share more about how I prepared, mentally, and what I packed to make the trip more enjoyable! Special thanks to my friend, India, over at Our Wanderlust Life. India talked me through everything we would need to camp with the kid, and even joined us on this first trip! India is also responsible for that epic sunset pic! Check out her site where she documents her travel journey as a single mama with two littles along for the adventure!

We’ve taken a few more camping trips since this one, and I feel like I know what I’m doing now. I can’t wait to share more!