This summer, I participated in something so different from anything I had done before. I went camping with family in Acadia National Park in Maine this past June. The closest I had ever been to real camping before was sleeping in tents with cousins in the backyard with s’mores. That’s not even close; you can’t call that camping at at all.
When you drive hours away from distractions that humanity has created and busy life as we know it, you reconnect with what really matters and the most beautiful things that exist. Stepping away from it all clears away the things that aren’t truly important. I know I felt God in the mountain I climbed, in the night sky, and in the moments of complete silence, stillness, and peace every now and then….just hearing your own heartbeat. No man-made architectural structure is as impressive as a gorgeous mountain that nature sculpted. No city lights compare to the Milky Way and the dozens of constellations I saw in the sky with zero light pollution. No TV show is as engaging as listening to the hundreds of different species communicating and coexisting together in one ecosystem. The mountain, the Milky Way, and the creatures knew I was there, too and I know this because I felt it.
I was happy to be back to Wi-Fi and my shower, but I’ve learned the simplest things are the most amazing things. I took that home with me.