in what has now become an annual ritual, i spent the weekend of my forty ninth birthday on a solo tent camping excursion in the woods of hanging rock state park. after i dropped off the kids at school on friday, i came home and packed up the cherokee for her inaugural trip to this beloved home away from home. i rolled into camp around two or three and began to leisurely set up my weekend accommodations, admittedly optimizing my outdoor feng shui for prime photo opportunities.
once everything was in its place, it was time for relaxation. first the hammock. and eventually, as the sun began to set and the temps dropped precipitously, the love seat by the campfire. of course there were smores involved.
it was pretty dark very early, so i let the fire die out and headed into my tent for the night. of course i woke up at like four am, much the same as i do at home, but i tried to stay bundled up in my sleeping bag for a bit, because traipsing around in the gravel and leaves is louder than you think, and i wanted to be a good neighbor. these thoughtful considerations didn’t last long though, and i got up in the dark of night, and started working on coffee. normally, i’m in a race against time to get to some trailhead, so i raretly endulge in the luxury of a morning campfire, but not this day. i fired that thing right back up and settled in for the most glorious cup(s) of coffee i’ve ever had.
so. here’s the part where i tell you. i’ve been hobbled by injury of late. i’m not sure if i’ve mentioned it on the blog, but for the last nine months or so, i’ve been riddled with total body joint pain. i’ve been to docs, physical therapists, and sports medicine. i’ve taken drugs. i’ve had blood tests. it’s maddening. but, i’ve mostly been able to muddle through that. but then, in early september, on this hike at rock castle gorge, i came down with a pretty bad case of plantar fasciitis. i’ve had it before and i’ve always been able to knock it out with some foam rolling on my calf and stretching. well, not so much this time. it’s been so much worse, and i keep reflaring it. it’s been the most maddening thing that’s ever happened to me healthwise.
so, all of that to say, there was no hiking to be had this weekend. while i normally like to ring in each new year of my life with a soul crushing, body destroying hike, i’m already in that state, so this year’s transition would have to be more chill. i literally spent the entire day at my campsite. and i did everything in the most leisurely manner. turns out, when you’re not trying to race to a trailhead to get parking, or to be able to squeeze a six hour hike into your day before dark, you can really slow things down.
i lounged my little heart out. met some fellow jeep loving neighbors. i had a lot of hammock time (even an elusive nap!). there may or may not have been an obscene amount of trader joe’s fancy snacks consumed. i read a few pages of the overly ambitious pile of books i brought. i toiled away on an english paper pieced quilt that has been making apppearances on this blog for the last three years.
but mostly, i journaled my little heart out, reflecting on this past year, which has been quite dumb. the chronic pain that is currently squatting in my joint apartments. life. purpose. identity. friendships. culture. the world on fire. you know. the usual stuff. i poured it all out on this, the last day of my 49th year. and then i turned the page, literally and metaphorically. and climbed into my tent.
of course i woke up in what normal people would call “still night time”. i was able doze back off a little, and lo and behold, when i got up, it was daytime. just kidding. it was still dark. but this cool almost dawn kind of dark that was really quite breathtaking.
another coffee in the dark situation.
i was out of firewood at this point, but that did not stop me from sitting fireside and pretending, while i sipped copious volumes of strong camp coffee.
eventually, it was time to pack up my little weekend home and head back to reality. the birthday calls and messages and insta posts started rolling in. so nice. especially enjoyed a wild and rambunctious facetime call with my nephews. wow. and a instagram story collage from anna, set to the tune of making love out of nothing at all by air supply.
while my time in the woods channeling my inner henry david thoreau was absolutely lovely, i still have priorities and i was sure to get home with time to unpack, shower, and settle in for an afternoon of buffalo bills football. we ordered pizza and wings from our fave buffalo owned restaurant (ronni’s) and the bills came through for me, defeating tampa bay in a fantastic game.
derek’s parents came over after the game for my official birthday cake moments. at first derek tried to pretend that this little petit four was my cake.
but then he brought out the real thing. an official grocery store birthday cake. that definitely tasted like sugary playdoh.
and then this pic reminded me of this other one from 10 years ago….
aaaaaand. then i was sad.
it was a fantastic birthday weekend. now lets see if i can’t use it to jumpstart a fantastic 50th year. i’ll let you know…