"Work is work...that's why they call it work. True enough...work should challenge us, but it should not be drudgery. We should find joy in what we do and happiness among the people with whom we work".
So, in that way it was not a bad idea to go camping with co-workers and their family. However for me it was bit different. The Sun was setting, dinner’s over and Mishti proactively offered to sleep with her flashlight and books. I was sitting with a can of Michelada by the fire. That's when it hit me: Oh, yeah. Camping is good...
Ok, these above reasons for going to camping are not so important, but being outside under the Sun for an entire day, is important, it feels different. The man-made roofs and walls were taken away; you were wrapped by dreamy limitless blue sky and surrounded by lush green trees, listening to crickets chirping... Aha blissful.
Well, if you are still not convinced and almost thinking that you will not continue to read this anymore, I have even better reason. Go to camping and eat all day long. There probably a reason why food tastes better outdoors, may be your senses are more alert, more sharp, your mind is more relaxing. I don't know, but I am sure the organizers of this camping knew. The variety of food taken was amazing. Apart from the usual Bar B Q stuff (which included vegies, Paneer, chicken, Fish, Shrimp, and off course marshmallows), there were panipuri, pauv bhaji, paan and what not.. Just Imagine!!
The best part of the camping site was, you are disconnected from phone calls, Face book, texts, twitter; rather you connect with nature, your soul. It was a "get away" from all the planning stuffs, all TBD lists on your refrigerator. In fact there were no "Must do", "Must watch" tagged things/places. May be you would like to take a stroll in a trail, watch playing the kids in dirt, watch the starry sky, discuss and debate on identifying "Saptarishi" or "Dhruvatara" (The different constellation in the night sky)... sounds like plan, huh...
This park (Martin Dies Jr. State Park) has some good demonstration on snake, crocodile, butterfly.... So if you happened to choose one such park with something like this, the little ones get a bonus deal.
This park is more than an hour drive to reach from our place. Speed limit keeps changing throughout, so you got to be really careful about speeding if you are driving or you need someone focused towards the speed limit post in your passenger seat. Do either one, because you do not want to be caught and get ticket on your way to camping.
Though initially it felt a lot of work, may be because it was first time, so was not very sure what to carry and what not to...but finally I came to conclusion that camping isn't just the packing and unpacking, the cooking and tidying, the planning and the doing. Camping is a state of mind; it will keep you close to nature's heart. It helps to wash your spirit clean.
So, where are you camping next?
