Campy

The snowy white layers acting like insulating fat dribbled away like sweat in the heat of the day leaving the ground tanned and newly green and naked to the elements once more. Spring weather pulls back and forth from cold to warm to cold to warm, from record extremes of warmest temperature for the month and coldest temperature for the month all within the same month. The weather is like a moody teen, switching weather like one tries to find the perfect outfit, tossing one shirt on top of the other until we no longer see patterns and end up with a mod podge of outfits on the ground and decide today’s just another lounge day because weather is too indecisive for you to decide around it. Perhaps fashion no longer exists. Maybe it never really did. Do you remember the tent dress? Something so impractical that you beg the answer of whether the creator has ever gone camping. I can’t even imagine sitting on the ground in wide-angled seated pose holding up your body tent. The only yoga pose that I have nearly mastered is corpse pose. My body is too tight to sit up straight due to the years and years of poor posture and not to mention the amount of stress I can hold, my muscles playing a game of tug-o-war with my chin meeting my neck and my shoulders hugging towards my chest. A few years ago I did yoga every day and I was in less pain, but I fell out of the habit and filled my days with endless worry. If only I could cash that in.
I wonder if the ground would be as kind to me now as it once was, lying in my sleeping bag while my body molded to the ground. Not in a decaying way, but now that I think of it, this body would probably mold into the ground, green, yellow, and orange its way into not having to get back up. The days when my muscles weren’t tense and tight have muscle memoried their way out of my mind. But I’d like to think that if I were to go camping, I might limber up a bit, my stress floating away in yellow, white, black, orange, blue butterflies.
My favorite type of camping was camping in the tent. As a child, we did this often and I’ve never slept better. We also didn’t usually go completely off the grid. Technology still usually came with us. We would often bring a projector and a white blanket and watch movies at night while roasting popcorn and burning marshmallows while strangers either pulled up a chair nearby or stood close breathing on your neck trying to watch the movie. I mean, there’s plenty of room to sit or stand, but it just doesn’t feel right if you’re not sharing a bubble, you know. Anyways, it was only awkward when you realized that the person sitting next to you, sharing your popcorn was no longer family or friends, but I never usually noticed until much later and by then the first movie is either almost done or the second movie just started so it’s a moment to shrug on rather than reflect. And don’t worry, their family probably hadn’t noticed that one of their adults disappeared for a few hours watching movies with strangers. Honestly, it’s the perfect camouflage. We all cried when the sacrifice was made in Vertical Limits or at least showed some emotion except for the guy picking his wedgie, he was caught up in something else. I swear I believed it was my dad as I glanced in confusion, I know my face probably formed an unnatural potato-like “wha” formation until I noticed my dad was actually seated on the opposite side and my face probably became a more defined “uh” formation stuck that way like intrusive rock. At least he wasn’t picking a booger, luckily people tend to save that for when they are parked at a stoplight. If that’s you, no one can see through their untinted windows and see you either flick or eat that boogie, we just naturally have that facial expression of utter disgust like we just drank some sour milk.
I loved the tents that had the top screen that allowed you to watch the shimmering stars, gazing at all of them while they dropped powdery sleep dust onto your face. And you said good night stars that spend their days lighting up the dark, good night moon who steals its light from the sun, and good night train that knows to call out at exactly 3 am each night.
Don’t get me wrong, it was a nice idea trying to put a tent and clothes together, but it just didn’t work as well as the sleeping bag jumpsuit. The sleeping bag jumpsuit would have come in handy on those colder nights watching movies with strangers. Borderline genius honestly. I haven’t tried it yet, but I’d bet it’s probably going to come through better than the snuggie which I was disappointed wasn’t something you immersed your entire body in, like a gunny sack with arms and a turtle neck.
I’d go camping now if I could muster up the courage, but for now, I’ll have to rely on my reminiscing. I honestly loved the days when it sprinkled and I could take almost an entire day breathing in that freshness, laying in my warm sleeping bag in my sweats and socks. Camping was one of my favorite hobbies. Many times, my sister’s friend would join us. There were days when it sprinkled and my parents would go fishing while the three of us ventured on the biking trails. We would paint our legs with speckled mud as the mountain bike tires pulled up layers with each pedal. The trails were never really washed out or super muddy because the trees always blocked most of the rain. Although, I did almost ride off the ledge into the muddy Platte River once because the trail had a sudden turn and we almost missed it.
I remember the cute frogs by the little lakes. Those green-bodied gods and goddesses with bulging dilated eyes with bubble gum throats that sung a ribbit-ting song. I lullabied many moons with them as a child. I haven’t seen them in quite some time; I think it’s been 15 years. Times have changed so much. Some of the animals that I grew up with have gone and some are considered extinct. Maybe they are really good at hide-and-seek like sasquatch. Recently there have been at least 11 different species that were thought to be extinct in other areas that have been found again. They are referred to as zombie species and they seem to be growing in numbers as time continues. It’s honestly a comfort to hear that amid mass extinction, these guys stride on. I wonder what else the world is hiding safely away like crumbs in its beard, saving it for later.

• Instagram
• Twitter
• Mail