peskypippi.comBecause I have a lot to say…

I returned home from a camping trip with my family. To the same old campsite we go every year. The same old trees. The same old lake. The same old dock. The same old hiking trails. The same old s’mores, spray cheese, hot dogs, and bean dip.

That’s what makes this trip so special to me. It’s one of our annual traditions. And it brings us back to connecting as a family. And to nature.

No, we don’t sing Cumbaya around the campfire (yeah…have you HEARD me sing? #frightful).

Besides the pure, natural beauty of camping in the Pacific Northwest, there’s the beauty of simplicity. Face it, we don’t have to make difficult decisions while camping:

• hike or swim?
• play Monopoly or Sorry?
• explore or bike?
• Oreos or Chips Ahoy?
• balance on the logs or skip rocks?
• sit in the sun or sit in the shade?

We met up with a forest ranger named Jennifer at a “campfire talk” on ecosystems. She distributed neon rubber wristbands that say “Smokey’s Friend.” I am still wearing mine. And I probably won’t take it off for awhile.

This simple bracelet is a reminder of the quality time I spent with my family…connecting and enjoying the simpler things in life.

In the past two days, I have been fortunate to meet up with two very good friends. And there were no kids in tow, imagine that.

One was over beer and appetizers yesterday after work. I like to say “apps” because, well, that sounds so much cooler. I have to admit, it’s been a long time since I went to happy hour with a girlfriend. I liked it and want to go again. Soon.

The second was a nice lunch today. In the middle of a busy work day. I took time out to meet up with a good friend I knew in high school. We lost touch and Facebook helped us reconnect again. Lots of good conversations, laughs, and silliness.

I do love Facebook for connecting with friends. You have little one-liner conversations with lots of different friends. But it’s sporadic. And Twitter is growing on me. It’s even crazier than Facebook. You’re Tweeting with people you don’t even know, but kinda want to get to know. Phone calls with friends rarely happen. I’m on the phone a lot for work. And evenings are pretty much shot. But if you do call me, call me after 10:00 p.m. and don’t be pissed if I fold laundry while I talk with you.

But it’s the face-to-face connections with friends that are so wonderful. And for me, these connections happen so infrequently. I’m always encouraging the kids to make new friends, have friends over, etc. But I need to listen to myself. It’s not “finding the time,” because who the hell has any extra time? It’s prioritizing what is important. I am now reprioritizing and reaching out to friends, in order to connect and reconnect in a more meaningful way.

Because that, my friend, is what life is all about.