Tear Drop Joy

After my successful camping attempt at the Dunes, I decided to find a minimalist camper that I could use on the road. I really didn't want much, just a place to sleep. I found the perfect little birch wood tear drop camper online. It is tiny - just enough room for me and Lily.... and it doesn't have anything that plugs in or could easily break. It is made for dry docking. I fell in love with it the first time I looked at it and bought it right away.

While the minimalist approach was what appealed to me most, I did feel that air conditioning would be a MUST in the Texas heat. I found what I thought was the perfect little portable unit and my husband installed it for me. I gathered a bunch of cute little supplies for it and was ready to take it across Texas for a test run. My best friend encouraged me to consider staying closer to home for my first time out. I agreed that it would be better in case things didn't work out, so I made a reservation at Lake Belton, which is 20 minutes from my house.

I was so excited about the thought of hooking the camper up myself, hauling it to my site, setting it up, exploring the area with my dog, cooking dinner by a campfire, sleeping in the ice-cold air conditioning and quiet. I really wanted it to be the first of many fun and relaxing trips. Nothing went as I had planned...

• The campsite was not in the shade, so it was extra hot there.

• The air conditioner didn't work. My best friend brought his to me to try. It didn't work either.

• The lake didn't seem to be accessible to me at first.

• I was extremely tired, so Lily and I didn't hike at all.

• The bathrooms were all locked when I first found them.

• To top it all off, I started my period when I really thought I was done with all of that.

It was not what I had in mind at all. I was pretty disappointed and fought back the tears of defeat. Sitting there in the sizzling summer heat, I started reflecting on all of the different times in my life when things didn't work out the way I thought they would. In those moments it feels like God is throwing punches, wanting me to build muscles of resilience. I have always felt that He wants me to learn to bounce back, pick up my mat and keep going. This experience was no different. I realized that this flurry of disappointments is probably the first of many. I am going to face uncomfortable moments in this. I am going to be challenged in new ways. If I am to successfully conquer the mountains of my life, I have to be able to minimize the uncomfortable aspects of the climb and focus on the tiny victories along the way.

So, that's exactly what I did. I embraced all of the joy I could find. Lily and I were able to make it to the water and she loved swimming. A nice afternoon storm rolled in and cooled things off for a bit. I started my own campfire and cooked my dinner outside. And I learned a lot. I learned that it's not always going to be fun or easy. I could easily let the negative thoughts take over and rule the day. Or not! The choice is mine.

As I go forward into my future adventures, I want to face every one of them with that same sense of curiosity. I want to find the joy that is hidden there for me. The challenges are simply that - challenges. I will face them as they are and not let them steal my joy.