Friday, March 25, 2016

Single and Smiling

 
 
How many of you readers would happily call this home for the evening? Please note, the wonkered pole in the middle of the tent (my hand-me-down tent's pole broke as we were assembling it); the gravel underneath the tent; and the overall simplicity of this setup.
 
This was home for a night on the beach in beautiful Destin, FL at the Henderson Beach State Park. It was amazing! Gabe and  loved out camp out. We only wished it could have lasted longer. We got to the campground where the hunk of a ranger gladly told us all about the camp ground and the amenities it offered as well as the rules of the beach. We easily found our site and noted our tent would have to be set up on gravel. That was fine, I had packed each of us a yoga mat. We started putting up the tent. Hammering stakes into gravel takes a little effort; but, we managed. As we were assembling the tent, one of the support rods decided it had withstood the winds of campers long enough and desperately wanted to retire. It broke. I sighed, probably with a curse word, before fetching the duct tape (don't you all have a roll in your car?) and taping the pole's splintered self back together. After adding the other two poles, Gabe and I gingerly watched to see if the duct tape would hold the tent long enough for our one night of sleep on the beach.
 
As we donned our swimsuits and made our way to the beach we joked about whether our tent would be standing when we returned.  It didn't matter to Gabe and I. We were on the beach and even if our tent fell on us in the middle of the night, it was cool by us!
 
It was quite windy during our stay, as you can see by the red flag. Again, we didn't care. We were on the beach; and, any day on the beach is a good day. We played and frolicked and took photos and let the breeze blow away our worries. Our toes and fingers were numb as we walked back to our site; but, we were smiling!
 
The next morning, I awoke before 5 to get the fire burning to make campfire coffee. You do not want to experience me without my coffee. No, no, no! As I sat, satisfied that the tent had not fallen in the night, waiting for my coffee to brew over the open fire it occurred to me that I do not know a single man who would have enjoyed that setting and rolled with it as we did. Every man I know would have complained and been a complete baby about some part of our set up. I could not think of how a grown man would have made my camping experience one bit better. He would have fussed about being cold, sleeping in a tent on gravel, having to start a fire for coffee, walking to the bathroom, sand in his clothes, the tent pole breaking (don't think I wouldn't have made some crude jokes on that one!), the crowds at Fudpuckers, the traffic... That list would have been pretty long!
 
So, I say all of this to point out: a partner should enhance a life, not make it miserable. It was pretty liberating to realize that NO one could have made my vacation any better than it was. It was a slice of heaven Gabe and I will cherish for the rest of our lives, thanks to ourselves and the ability to roll with the punches.
 


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