The First Camping Trip

I can not rant on about how terrible our first camping trip was because it wasn’t. Actually, it was on the contrary. It was pretty amazing. The weather held up, or should I say started cooking us alive. Other than that, the fire burned well, and the food tasted pretty good. We are definitely going to go again, and maybe stay a little longer. We were quite lucky to not have forgotten something, or realize that we need something essential that we don’t have. I guess all the planning and searching for camping checklists payed off.

Here’s the break down:

The tent was put up on a slant, so because of the forces of gravity, we all slid down. By the time we woke up, we were all at the bottom of the tent. Luckily, we have a huge tent, so that didn’t matter.

The war with bugs was on. Luckily I didn’t get bitten, but I can”t say that for the others. Even with extra strength bug spray on our clothes, and around the campsite, the bugs started drinking hot chocolate and lemonade.

Then there was jeans in water. Future note: Always bring swimsuits along when going to the beach. Water tends to stay on jeans for quite a while. But then again, the sun dried it pretty quickly.

We did run out of firewood, trying to keep a fire going for four hours. However, we were able to buy some wood.

I also want to extend an apology on behalf of our family to a couple potatoes which we burned mercilessly in the fire.

Also, when we got bored at night there was an awkward game of charades, at one point or another, my chest started hurting from laughter. But that was quite enjoyable.

We did get lost on a trail (well, actually loop), but saw a huge Douglas Fir.

Again, the trip was a success.

I won’t bother going over the other details, but this experimental trip may lead to weeks of camping all the way along road trips. I wonder how that might turn out? Anyways, its another adventure, that went well.

Vacation

Well, summer has started with the bang of Canada Day. I’m personally staying around town, but still planning to have a good time. Besides all the same beaches and pools, what’s special this summer is believe it or not: camping with my family.

I expect this to be an adventure, one that I don’t know the outcome of, but that is exactly what an adventure should be. And as Jon Acuff has once said:

I decided to go camping together because our family don’t spend much time outdoors, and the few times when we do, are spent in the city. There is also the fact that my sister is jealous, because I go camping a lot. However, the most important reason is that is FUN. Think about it this way. You and I both have only a certain amount of time on Earth. So then, why not make this time fun? My family is split up over the globe a lot of times, so I want to put the time we have together to good use. I hope my family won’t argue too much about this idea. 🙂

We have everything we need, so all we need to do is get out there.

Stay tuned for the happenings of our first family camping trip.

But for now,

Good bye spring, hello summer!

5 Rules of Happiness

Finding happiness...

Everything we do in life are all done to achieve the ultimate goal: Happiness. The most depressed gets one life, the happiest gets one life as well. However, a happy life is full of good memories and no regret. On the other hand, a sad life is full of regrets and sorrow. Happiness can be hard to achieve, with so much stress and pressure in our modern lives. Mae West once said “You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.” Over the years, I have managed to find ways to be happy. Here are my top 5:

1. Forget About Yesterday

Yesterday happened. Without a time machine it is impossible to go back in time and change what happened. Instead of dwelling on the past and events that have happened, start fresh. Open a new chapter and start again. Do not let yesterday get in the way of today. To be able start, you must stop. So stop worrying about the past, and you will be happier.

2. Be Optimistic

Humans have all evolved to be pessimists, and think about the worst case scenario because it has the most survival value. Imagine this: A monkey running around in the forest. When it sees a tiger, it can be optimistic and hope to become friends, or be pessimistic and run for his life. Running away from the tiger have proved to be the most successful, thus their children will run from the tiger. After many generations, most optimists have been removed from the gene pool as they are simply not able to survive. So today, humans are mostly pessimistic. But the difference today, most situations aren’t about life and death. For example, after a job application, humans can worry and think “I won’t get the job”, or think “I will get the job”. Obviously, thinking “I will get the job” will make humans, us, happier.

3. Physical Exercise

Your body and mind are connected, so believe it or not, physical exercise can make you happy. Chemicals in your brain are released to reduce stress and depression; and increase energy and happiness. Without getting too technical, chemicals released include dopamine, and endorphin.

4.  Be With Friends and Family

Humans are social animals, thus being with the people we love will naturally make us happier. Friends and family can comfort, and inspire. Directly through their smiles and jokes, and indirectly with their presence; they make us happy and well, happy. It works perfectly just like math: (family+friends)+(you)=happiness.

5. Organize

Organization is truly key. Clutter can cause stress. It has been proven that the sanctuary homes should be isn’t possible with clutter. The next time you are stressed out in your room, organize it and see how your environment can really affect your mood. A slight side note, but not only will decluttering reduce stress, it will make finding things so much easier. Not only physically organizing, but planning and being prepared helps too. Stress from “what do I do”? And “Oh no, I forgot to do that!” will be gone. Reduced stress is (obviously) great to improve overall happiness.

Hopefully these tips will help you in becoming happier ( 🙂 ) and living a better life.