I gotta get out

One of my favorite things to do is to load up my camping gear on my bicycle, strap a kid or two on, and hit the road for a day or two of riding and camping. There is some primal urge that beckons me to be outdoors, working my muscles, getting dirty, taking risks, testing my limits. Many times in the past, my wife and I have been together for these adventures, which was awesome. Right now, though, she’s two months away from delivering a baby. Her center of gravity is not exactly optimal for a big cycling adventure at the moment.
So, I have this tension to figure out. On the one hand, I have an irresistible desire to get out and have a little camping adventure with my kids. On the other hand, my wife and children need me at home. On yet another hand, my workload at work has been a little crazy lately and I’m juggling a number of other things in life right now as well. It seems that all of these competing interests cannot all be addressed at the same time. Something has to give.
For the past few weeks, I deprioritized the dreams of camping so that I could attend to my work, commitments, and family needs at home. I know that was the right choice, and I don’t regret it. However, the siren song in my heart still calls to me as I think about my tent pitched in the woods near a campfire. I gotta get out.
This week, we have the 4^th of July holiday. My office will be closed and nothing will be happening at work. The weather should be nice. I’ve already been making plans with my wife. I’m going to load up the bikes with camp gear and kids and hit the open road for the day. We’ll camp at a friend’s property about 20 miles out of town and then ride back home the next day. I can’t wait!
The new baby is due at the end of August. That’s still prime camping time. I sometimes despair at the thought that I may not be doing much camping during the final month of summer. I panic and start to look for ways to get in more camping excursions before the birth.
But maybe the panic isn’t warranted. We’re going to have lots of help from friends and family around the time of the birth. Also, my wife usually gets more peace, quiet, and rest when I take the kids out, so it might be a win-win if I do some camping with the kids after the dust settles from the birth. We’ll just have to see how things are taking shape when we get there. In the meantime, I’m keeping camping on the table as an option.