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18 January 2016 – Weekend Outing
Thanks to my lovely wife, I was able to spend some much wanted downtime with a good friend of mine. While this was not necessarily deserved, it did cause me to reflect on a couple of things.
First, the outing. We were able to head out early Saturday morning and arrive early at a chosen camp site in Raven Cliffs Wilderness. This made it possible for us to spend the day, the night, and then leave when we wanted to on Sunday. What this meant for us was, relaxation.
Setting up camp after a hike in, does provide to be somewhat of a chore but it is the type of chore you do not really mind doing. It is kind of like getting out of your big comfy chair to let the dogs outside only to realize you needed to get up and stretch anyway as well as get you a snack or something else to drink. So you really did not mind letting the dogs out.
With a long day, the setup was fun because we were able to take our time and get things set the way we wanted to as opposed to settling for what was available. That also meant we were able to choose the choice campsite because we were the first ones into the forest.
It was very nice to talk and spend time with my friend but one of the best parts, in my opinion, was we did not have to rush or have any time table. If I wanted to go shoot a video, then so be it. If he wanted to carve a spoon, then let it happen. His carved spoon was fantastic and I learned a lot watching. The only requirement we had was the fire needed to stay fed and provide warmth.
This downtime was something that all people need in their lives because it gives us time to reflect on the day, week, month, or even year. Our lives were not meant to be a tedious schedule but we have allowed that to happen and thusly control us without taking the much needed break.
This leads me to the second part of this thought. I was so thankful for my wife during this trip. Yes, I did let her know and yes, I often think of her when I am “out with the guys”. Maybe this part is just for the wives to read, but she let me go. Freely and cleanly, she let me go be a guy in the woods for the weekend. Now here me on this. No, I do not need my wife’s permission to go to the woods. However, I do not want it to be a burden to her when I do go, so I ask what her plans are and make sure all things are taken care of before I walk out the door.
This, in essence, allows me to be a man. I will repeat that. By taking care of my wife and not putting more worry or burden on her and by asking her if it is okay for me to go to the woods, it allows me to be a man. It shows my wife respect, the respect she deserves as a human and even more, my wife. As a man, I want, I desire, I have an innate responsibility to take care of my bride. As a married man, we all have that internal desire and responsibility to be the knight in shining armor that she wants.
It is because of this non-task, I am able to thoroughly enjoy my weekend out in the woods and increase my “dirt time”, as well as hang out with some of the coolest people I know. It provides a learning environment for anything I am trying to work on, helps me to listen to instruction, and accomplish tasks that need to be done all without having to worry about what is going on at home.
The flip side of that, which may cause some lash back, is some men do not care what goes on at home. They tear down their wives, are inconsiderate reprobates, and are more than self centered jerk faces. (yes, I cleaned up that comment three times before I hit the publish button)
I guess the best part of it is, I am rested and relaxed. I was able to take care of my wife when I got home and get to do it all again in the future without listening to nagging or any hassle.
One last note: I AM NOT PERFECT. I do not claim to be nor am I saying that my way is the only way to do things. It is merely a suggestion and an example that works for me.
Folks, enjoy yourselves. Enjoy your life. And, if you are married, enjoy your spouse but be respectful.
Until then,
Use your instincts to survive
Source: https://instinctsurvivalist.wordpress.com/2016/01/18/18-january-2016-weekend-outing/
