A cup and a bowl

A wise friend once told me the best thing about camping is that you only have one cup and one bowl and you have to wash them up each time you use them. It's so removed from how we usually live. I think one reason we love camping so much is the way it reduces life down to the minimum. You take with you what you can carry.

I sometimes wonder how we can live so happily for weeks on end with just a backpack each. We barely think about the things we have left at home. It's a little like having an attic. There can be things up there that you might not have looked at or used for years. Maybe you've even forgotten what's there. And honestly, if you have forgotten what's even there, do you really need it at all?

Even our children don't miss their stuff. They are too busy exploring the campsite, finding other kids to make friends with, disappearing off to the playground, climbing trees. There's so much space and freedom.

Camping definitely makes me stop and think about how we live. Could we bring a little more of the camping life into our every day life? Wash our bowl and cup each time we use them and make sure our attic doesn't become full of things we never use.