Camping is in-tents...

(Get it?! Intense? Haaaaa I'm so punny...)

I had the loveliest time camping with my girlfriends this past weekend! There were so many laughs and so many hilarious struggles. I was utterly exhausted when I got home, but it was exactly what I needed.

We knew going into the weekend that there was a significant chance of rain at some point during the trip, so we prepared the best we could. With an extra tarp to go under the tent, a pop-up for over our picnic table, and our food all stashed in coolers or plastic bins we figured we had it under control. Add a rain jacket for each of us and a giant golf umbrella for trips out to the bathrooms and we imagined we had thought of everything.

The first evening went off without a hitch. We cooked our dinner over the campfire, made s'mores (because, duh), and enjoyed each other's company. The next day threatened to continue to be drizzly, but cleared up in the afternoon and turned into the perfect beach day...for a handful of hours.

Then, as we were beginning to think about making dinner the sky went abruptly dark.

Oh, crap.

We all dove into action and got anything that couldn't stand up to immense wet into the tent, out to the cars in the parking lot, or under the picnic table and just as we settled down the rain started - crisis handled.

We snapped triumphant pictures of the four of us in our rain gear and patted ourselves on the back, but the rain got steadily heavier and there was thunder in the distance.

Then, the discovery: when the tent is advertised as "water resistant" it is NOT the same as "waterproof"...

It could have been so much worse, but we found that the tent was leaking over both air mattresses and it looked like we were doomed to have a damp night. We threw some towels and extra blankets under the leaks, though, and made the best of it and laughed at our own hubris snuggled down in the tent as we heard the crack of a giant tree limb coming down in the storm elsewhere in the park.

In the daylight the next morning, fortunately, everything turned out to be alright and the sun was even able to burn off the clouds and dry up most of our camping gear before it was time to pack up and head home.

I've been thinking this week about being prepared for the storms of life. No matter how prepared you think you are, it seems life finds a way to rain on your parade every once in a while anyway. For me, even though I've chosen to divorce my husband and even though it's a comparatively "easy" divorce (no kids, no house, no shared bank accounts) it's still a storm that is passing over my life. Even though I'm prepared for it through introspection, mindfulness, and therapy, the drips are still coming through. There is still a nebulous anxiety that comes with closing a door that has been open for over a decade. I've been fighting it off and blaming myself for not being better at things, but a friend reminded me that just because I'm afraid of what's on the other side doesn't mean I'm doing anything wrong. The anxiety doesn't mean I'm failing, it just means I'm aware that my life is undergoing some serious change, and it's okay to feel trepidation.

Fortunately, I have some of the best friends a girl could ever ask for. I have an abundance of people who are here for me as I make this transition and I can't imagine my life without them. I'm filling my days with productive work that I enjoy, with quality time with smart and kind people, and with ample amounts of solitude for self-care and recovery. There is no "divorce-proof" solution for the anxiety in my life right now, but I've got a strong support group to help me through the storm, and I can trust myself to get through a few little leaks along the way.

P.S. Something else that's been on my mind lately: tell me your most awkward first date stories! I've been on so few actual "dates" in my life, I'd love to be able to compare your experiences to each other and to my own. Go forth, kick butt, and be as patriotic as you can manage to celebrate this Independence Day!