Camp – The world is changing
I was the baby of the family and my mom was left with my fifteen year old sister, twelve year old brother, and me on the way when my father, sadly, passed away a few months before I arrived. Their world was changing.
Back then boys liked to get dirty, play in the creek, climb trees, build fires, etc. and dads were a critical player in making that happen. Luckily, in my case, my siblings helped mom fill that void and it helped that they seemed to enjoy a good adventure themselves.
A camping trip consisted of anything from a tent in the backyard to a week in the mountains with my brother or a trip to a distant state park with my sister and her husband once she was married. The patience they showed and the memories they helped me form on these excursions left not only a lasting impression but made the absence of a father much easier for a kid growing up in the hills of West Virginia. The world was changing
Today, my own children (as most) have a stronger interest in technology and the broad world that the Internet has offered them. This is not a complaint but rather an observation as I have spent over thirty years in the Information Technology industry myself and completely understand the opportunities that exist there. The world is changing.
In fact, I would suggest that I have spent far more time with technology then I did on all of those camping trips. I’ve spent vast hours in search engines and on YouTube. I’ve taken online classes and instructed many myself. I’ve watched the Internet evolve from a disjointed set of distant PCs to the point of information overload and access to every piece of data i could ever want. The world is changing
I have been blessed with work opportunities that let me learn skills, travel to some amazing cities, and meet amazing people. I’ve ridden motorcycles (a story for another time), customized a Jeep, owned my own business, and had a lot of hobbies. Always something new. The world is changing.
I’ve been married to a wonderful wife, had four kids, and several pets. I’ve had heart surgery, lost jobs, and even lost my mom as well as one of those siblings. As I write this, I am 54 years old. The world is changing.
So, why am I writing this? Because even with all of these life experiences, I long for getting dirty, playing in the creek, climbing trees, and building fires. That is where I learned the most valuable life lessons, where I smiled and laughed and didn’t worry, and where I didn’t notice that the world is changing.
Thank you to my family for taking me camping.
Marshall
Red Pup Adventures