ANTS

Ants, thought to be amazing little creatures who can lift so many times their body weight; the Arnold Schwartzeneigers of insects if you will. Okay, so it's a proven fact they are fascinating little creatures. I don't mind them winding their way through the blades of grass and the occasional one that tickles its way over my toes as I open them to the carpet of green and brown that coats the earth. I do mind them scampering around our kitchen. In fact, I actually despise it! After spending three days in the wilderness you might think I would be more open to them as I regained an appreciation for all of God's creation...you might think, but no still brings a vengeance to my eyes as I lighted upon the tiny six legged invaders upon return to the homestead.
Camping though, let's talk about that...an interesting observation made by a fellow weekend warrior as we walked around the campgrounds. She said, ya know it's crazy to think that back in the 1800's, not that long ago for sure, what we escape the modern conveniences to do they lived. Think about it, we have all these technological advances, the comforts of sleeping on a mattress, in a sound structure that holds up and keeps you dry during a hard morning's rain, and yet we drive long distances and pay money to set up a structure that does leak in the hard storms and sleep basically on the ground (unless you are a less than true camper and take your blow-up mattress, wusy!). Does this blow anyone's mind!? I also noticed along the way that it all of a sudden becomes culturally acceptable to pick up food that was dropped, skip washing your hands with soap and water before preparing meals and touching other people's food...all things I have to remind myself not to do on a more than regular basis (oh the battle that goes on in my mind on all to often of occasions). Not to mention the fact that one of my favorite topics, pooping, is also more widely discussed and joked about. Why? Because we are reverting back to the basics, it is refreshing to clear away all the gadgets and gismoes and it is almost taboo to open up a cell phone while camping with 11 others unless it is a dire emergency, or to call your mom...b/c everybody knows mom is the only person whose calls take precedence over rules of manners. (Examples: eating a meal with others...mom calls, you answer it. talking to someone else, mom calls on the other line...you answer it. camping and realize mom needs to know where you are or when you'll be back...you call her. Case closed)
Anyways, as I listen to Hillsong - This is Our God - it says, "Jesus you're all I need." Even while camping it seems we take more than we need, we plan ahead to a fault, there is still the excess of our lifestyle that creeps in as we take extra food, games galor of which we play only a couple, clothes that don't get touched except to be shoved to the bottom of the bag...it saddens me to think that it took me till the last full day to not care when we did what or what time it was or where we should go...my body took that long in the midst of what is supposed to be the most basic of things to wind down and realize what was going on around me. It took me half way through the 7-8-9...who knows how long hike/run/jog to just stop and thank God for what I was experiencing. That saddened me, I knew it was happening, but yet couldn't stop right away, had to get to the next spot, had to see how fast I could go...
Once I stopped, I thank God that He helped me realize He is enough, Jesus is all I need.
Then I must admit it was easier to frolic in the woods and go back to my 1/64th native american roots and try to run soundlessly through the forest. I Imagine myself as a deer in flight; I do feel like a deer sailing along the woods at times. I do try at moments to walk without hearing my own footsteps and imagining I am the only one for miles around. It works for a while till the next couple hikes by, till I get near a highway and the sounds of nature are overrun by the passing car, till I reach the end of the trail all too soon and have to once again realize I am not the young Indian Squaw, I am a product of the 21st century, only 1/64th native american, don't even know what tribe we came from off the top of my head, the only remnant of our heritage I've participated in is the occasional rain dance in the basement of grandpa's house with a trashcan, cane, and rain stick. And I am looking forward to sleeping on my mattress here in a minute, with a pillow, not a wadded up shirt. And the fridge is nice, the airconditioning, talking to my friends on the phone since I don't live in hiking distance of most of them...the shower, toilet, sink...even with ants in the kitchen...