The Plan

A while back we were playing Would you Rather with the older Grandsons, a great game giving a group of multi-generational members a way to communicate and share values. This has turned out to be important in a world where so many teens communicate by texting rather then talking eye to eye. I have nothing against texting, tweets, face book, all the video games online and off, but I am beginning to think in using so many of these great time savers we are losing some aspects of the art of conversation.

Body language comes to mind in this respect, it adds richness to a conversation that in lost in electronic communication. It also adds a clarity that we are unable to define in a quick tweet, making misunderstandings less frequent.

But back to the point of this post, one of the questions which came up was " Would you rather be lost in the woods and have to fight off a wild animal with your bare hands or have to start a fire with out matches? O.K. I am a little older so I thought this was a no-brain er..and we would all have the same answer. Wrong..I do not play video games which I am ultra-human and can fight wild animals with just the might of my hand held controller..no I am mortal, a line which is evidently blurred for young teens with no experience outside of their well-defined gated communities.

Now starting a fire with out matches would be impossible according to J(age 15) and N(age 13 )Where did this lack of knowledge come from? So as I said I have nothing against technology so off to you- tube we went to discover the many videos posted on how to start a fire without matches!This is where my husband and I developed the plan ...we will take the boys camping once a month, we will get them in the fresh out-doors, commune with nature, have great philosophical conversations and grow closer as a family!So armed with my new America the Beautiful pass , a Christmas gift from my youngest son R, given with a smile and a " are you sure this is want you really want Mom?"I set off on an exploration of possibilities via internet of coarse..lol

Our friends and neighbors who have always supported us in any way they could since we joined this community 33 years ago began showering us with an avalanche of items we would need to rough it. As all of this is making itself known in the corner of what once was my formal dining room. The 4 year old K is really getting into it, when he is here he gathers small twigs for our fire, sleeps in one of the sleeping bags so he can practice and saves empty matchbook covers that is finds in great places like parking lots so his brothers will not have to build fires with out matches or fight wild animals!

We even purchased a small used travel trailer( for roughing it?) for our up-coming adventures. A wonderful couple who live around the corner convinced us we did not want to travel with this precious cargo and not have a clean bathroom with us! I have to wonder during the move to settle the west how those hardy pioneers managed with out a clean bathroom, but then I am sure they did not need air-mattresses, camp stoves, cots, arctic rated sleeping bags, extra long handled implements to roast marshmallows or any of the other items stacking higher in our dining room.

So we have a plan..we have stuff..we are moving into the future...