Simplicity

If we’re being absolutely honest, camping is not romantic. It’s mosquitos and dirt and greasy hair and baby wipes instead of showers. And you can believe me when I say it took me a day or two to get used to it. Even though my mum and dad used to take me on camping trips, it’s been ages since I last slept in a tent. 

In Tasmania you’re allowed to camp everywhere (as long as there’s no sign saying ‘no camping’. Obviously.) and there are many free campsites where you at least have a toilet. 

I bought my tent, my sleeping bag and my camping cooker along with a pot and a pan in an op shop for just 18 euros. (Again, how good are op shops?!)

With camping, I realised, your whole life revolves around ‘Where am I going to sleep tonight?’, ‘What am I going to eat today?’ and ‘Do I need a shower or will a bottle of deodorant and a hat get me through the day?’.  

 

But once you get used to looking awful and you realise no one gives a shit, because everyone looks the same, it’s the most freeing feeling in the world. 

How amazing is it to wake up next to a beach and go for a swim in the morning? You’re freezing but you feel alive and happy! How the night sky takes your breath away when you look at it, because you’re in the middle of nowhere and there’s no light pollution so all the stars shine brighter than ever. When the night gets cold and you sit so close to the bonfire that you burn your shoe, but the sound of cracking, burning wood is the most relaxing sound in the whole world. (You will never get rid of the smoky smell in your clothes.) Even food tastes so much better when you cook it outside! 

When you allow yourself to be content with less, you will start to appreciate the little things. Simple things make us happy. They let us breath.