Nature is Romantic…on Paper.

Confession: It’s been a really long time since I went camping. I think the last time was in college, when my best friend and her boyfriend took me and his friend out to the wilds. Needless to say, the friend and I were not a match, and my friend broke up with her boyfriend fairly soon after. I only remember it as an odd trip.

I love a good “hook-up” in nature story, so I thought it would be fun to write some this summer. I don’t know about you, but for me, there’s something about the fresh air, the leaves rattling in the wind, the sounds of small (or maybe large) animals snuffling through the nearby brush, butterflies and birds flitting through meadows and forests…it’s all kind of awakens the primal part of the brain, and simplifies the business of living down to food, shelter and carnal encounters.

Of course in reality, being physically intimate out in the woods (or on a beach, or anywhere not climate-controlled, really) isn’t nearly as romantic as we’d like it to be. I was thinking about all the things I could write about, imagining what it would be like to experience them, and realized that when it comes down to it, I was far more willing to put up with a lot of discomfort when I was younger.

But I still remember what it was like to not be so worried about things like grass stains and sand in unfortunate places and pine needle pokes. To hike under the canopy and daydream about that one incredibly cute guy helping me up if I fell, or maybe skinny-dipping under the moon at the base of a waterfall.

I’ve spent my fair share of time in meadows with my journal, fantasizing about stolen kisses on grandma’s quilt with a lazy creek meandering nearby.

And there was that one time on a dark, lonely backroad in the car (because mosquitos), with my then-boyfriend watching a huge lightning storm across a rippling lake, the majestic energy making us feel both insignificant and alive all at once.

Working on the new nature-themed series has reminded me that there’s definitely something magical and primal about being outside, experiencing nature firsthand, and even dealing with all the discomforts that go with it.

But I’m enjoying the fact that I can experience the more romanticized version in my head, and not have to deal with the bugs, pine needles and freezing cold lake/river/campground shower water myself.

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