Ways Camping Nurtures Relationships All relationships change and grow with time. The more we interact the more those changes surface. Some interactions are usually positive for a relationship. Other interactions are negative. Camping can be either one. If you do camping correctly, you can experience a lot of joy, delight on a relationship. You can Nurture relationship whether it be father and son, co-workers, great friends, or married couples.   Trust No matter with whom you are camping, you will have to trust them. And they will have to trust you. Trust is a very strange thing when it’s presented in its purest form and camping gives us a very pure look at trust. It’s no longer trusting the other person to do their work, or do the dishes, or remember to call. Now it’s trust that they will work with you to survive and vice versa. Seeing that trust come to fruition is an overwhelmingly positive feeling. Working Together For you and your camping partner the idea of working together is probably pretty simple. School work, yard work, or deciding on a restaurant are only small glimpses of what it means to work together. When you are camping there is a new power to working together, new successes that both of you can reach together. Now you are working together to scale a mountain, to build a fire, to catch a meal. This level of togetherness strengthens all relationships. Perspective of Happiness Camping forces you to see life in a simpler way. Right now some things that might bring you happiness are your cellphone, websites, a new copy machine, a clean kitchen, and so forth. But when you’re camping your feeling of happiness washes clean, pure and simple. Now happiness is a warm roaring fire. Happiness is the stars above your hear and the person across from you. When you refresh your perspective of happiness that mindset tends to stick around. Improvisation We don’t have a lot of chances to improvise in every day life. Most things are clearly presented. We have appointments, deadlines, and calendars marked with important things to do. But when you are camping you have to change and be flexible. When you do this you will fail and you will learn and then you will do it again better. Having a person to learn improvisation with you, at the same time, makes failing seem reasonable. It’s okay that you’re not good at this. You’ll watch them learn and learn from it, and they will learn from you, too. This simultaneous learning and teaching will create a bond that is very strong. Learning Together Any time two people learn something together there is a bond, much like when you learn to improvise. If you have ever been new to a job and had orientation with a few people, you’ll remember those people years later. It’s a bond that cannot break. When you learn while you are camping, that bond becomes more personal. It becomes stronger. You’ll never forget the person with whom you learned to camp. Removed Distractions Life is full of distractions. TV, radio, cellphones, music, gossip, and more; the list goes on and on. We are constantly bombarded with these things. But when you go camping, we clear this haze away. We can see things clearly. With this clarity we can see our camping partner in a new, refreshing light. They become much more human, much more real. Whether you are dating, married, or new friends, you will learn to see them for who they really are when you clear away the distractions. Freedom When we are free, we act differently. It’s like removing a barrier that has kept us back, kept us reserved. Experiencing this feeling, no matter how briefly or how often you are able to feel it, bonds you with the people that are sharing the feeling. I can still remember riding the bus home from my last day of high school, the combination of fear, excitement, and change. And I remember seeing the sensation in others, too. When you are camping we get a chunk of this feeling, and we see it with our camping cohorts. And you’ll remember and appreciate them sharing this moment with you. Relaxation Camping will bring you relaxation. It will peel away many of the frustrations you are facing and allow you to be yourself. And your camping partner will be relaxed, too. And there is something genuine about seeing a person pull away the layers and act like themselves. When you see someone you care about act truly like themselves, you’ll see the deep down beauty within them. And they’ll see it within you, too. Leadership At different times when you are camping, you or your camping partner will be the leader. This will change many times throughout the trip. In most situations one person is a leader. And this is good. You learn a lot about person when they are following you and when you are following them. Seeing them trust you and learning that you can trust them can teach a new appreciation for that person. The Worst This is the most important way to strengthen a relationship with a person. See them at their worst. And let them see you at yours. When you are camping for long times, you will get worn down. Especially if this is your first couple times camping. And this is okay. Work through this. Let them see you like this and see them like this. When you see someone at their worst, you may want to turn away. But, most likely, you will see them as real. This can be very important when taking a relationship to a new level. Camping can strengthen any relationship. When you are camping with a person, no matter if they are family, lovers, or friends, your relationship will change and grow. You’ll learn and they’ll learn. And the bond that is formed between the two of you will become stronger.