Tent

The forecast was a low to medium chance of rain. I studied the sky as I drove home from work. It seemed okay to me. Our campsite was an hour east, so I was hopeful we’d miss out on rain.

My young scout was ready. I assumed other parents also had excited campers. The forecast grew to a full medium chance of rain. I held onto my hope. Some other parents gave up, but a few shared my outlook.

The campsite reservations were in my name and I had to be present to check-in. We loaded up and headed out. Worst-case scenario, we would hang out in some rain for a bit, then get our camping on.

Ten minutes before we got to the campgrounds, the sky began to spit rain. The park ranger checked us in and warned us to watch the waterways. Even if we got a little rain, the levels could rise quickly. We were ten more minutes from the park entry to the campsite. It was a comical amount of rain. I could barely read the campsite signs.

I parked at one of our designated sites. We sat for a few minutes. We waited, and the rain pounded on the car. I chatted with my son. We had to raise our voices to be heard. He asked what we planned to do first. He asked when the rain would stop. He asked what would happen if it didn’t. Never mind the waterways, the rain was so heavy the high ground camp sites were under rushing water. It continued to beat against the car.

I finally decided it was better to drive home while I had a little sunlight left. He was disappointed. We were disappointed. The rain dumped all the way back home. My fingers became sore from gripping the steering wheel. My back hurt from leaning forward, hoping that leaning a few inches forward would somehow improve visibility.

Despite the conditions, I had an idea. We scurried into the house. I setup the tent in the living room. We left the front open and stayed up way late. We watched Star Wars, microwaved s’mores, and ate stovetop foil dinners.

I tried to control the rain. I couldn’t. Our plan seemed ruined, but it didn’t have to be. I can throw up my hands and be mad at the rain. Or, I can eat s’mores and watch movies. Rain only changed our plans. It didn’t ruin them.

Am I letting the rain ruin my day? Will I stop wasting energy on things outside my control? Will I reinvest that effort to double down on things I can control?

Be curious, be kind, be whole, do good things.