Faux Camping
Campsite B27 was reserved and waiting for our arrival. I had $85 worth of groceries in my trunk. My backpack was packed, and my Keens were waiting at the foot of my bed so that I could slip them on and walk out the door as soon as class was over the next day. My friends and I had been planning for this campout all semester long. Literally.
And then it began to snow.
Arkansas hardly ever gets snow in the winter, nevertheless in the middle of March. Supposedly March 21 was the first day of spring, and we got a snowstorm. With the temperature staying in the low 30's and 40's with a forecast of rain all weekend, we called off the camping trip Friday morning.
But when life gives you lemons, you make lemonade.
So after class, I found my group of fellow camping friends pitching a tent...in the dorm room. We hung a hammock in between the bunk beds, spread out a checkered picnic blanket on the floor, and even hung Christmas lights like "stars in the sky".
We were absolutely determined to go camping!
We carried in the groceries from my trunk and feasted on hot dogs and microwave-roasted s'mores. We played games like we always do when we go camping, and we even had a "campfire devo" complete with circle-sitting, guitar-playing, and fake fire crackle sounds from somebody's iphone.
We actually did almost everything that we planned to do on our normal campout, including just as much fun and laughter...and maybe even more.
This is what I treasure in my friends and what I love about life: the unexpected happens, plans are changed, and disappointments come. But its not the end of the world because flexibility and adaptability kick in, and together we make the most of it.
With all this comes a new kind of adventure that leads to unexpected fun and fellowship. And although we love real camping, it is not the trees or the fresh air or the campfires that make it all meaningful - it is the relationships. And no mid-March snowstorm could take that away. Though the camping was faux, the friendships are not. And though we laughed at the ridiculousness of another "life-in-the-college-dorm" weekend, we also learned the value of simply being together even when plans fall apart.
And then it began to snow.
Arkansas hardly ever gets snow in the winter, nevertheless in the middle of March. Supposedly March 21 was the first day of spring, and we got a snowstorm. With the temperature staying in the low 30's and 40's with a forecast of rain all weekend, we called off the camping trip Friday morning.
But when life gives you lemons, you make lemonade.
So after class, I found my group of fellow camping friends pitching a tent...in the dorm room. We hung a hammock in between the bunk beds, spread out a checkered picnic blanket on the floor, and even hung Christmas lights like "stars in the sky".
We were absolutely determined to go camping!
We carried in the groceries from my trunk and feasted on hot dogs and microwave-roasted s'mores. We played games like we always do when we go camping, and we even had a "campfire devo" complete with circle-sitting, guitar-playing, and fake fire crackle sounds from somebody's iphone.
We actually did almost everything that we planned to do on our normal campout, including just as much fun and laughter...and maybe even more.
This is what I treasure in my friends and what I love about life: the unexpected happens, plans are changed, and disappointments come. But its not the end of the world because flexibility and adaptability kick in, and together we make the most of it.
With all this comes a new kind of adventure that leads to unexpected fun and fellowship. And although we love real camping, it is not the trees or the fresh air or the campfires that make it all meaningful - it is the relationships. And no mid-March snowstorm could take that away. Though the camping was faux, the friendships are not. And though we laughed at the ridiculousness of another "life-in-the-college-dorm" weekend, we also learned the value of simply being together even when plans fall apart.
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