My Top Ten Thoughts While Spending Time Outdoors

During my recent vacation to the North Georgia mountains, my wife and I spent three days camping at the beautiful Vogel State Park located in Blairsville, Georgia.  This trip, like the many before, allowed me some necessary time to balance my life of work and rest.  I found that it also allowed me plenty of time to reflect on the priorities of life and how my time in nature affected those priorities.  More than a week has passed since we returned back to the rigors of balancing our lives with our jobs, but I still hold a few thoughts close to my heart from our most recent vacation.  And while I don't consider myself to be a great philosopher, and I know that these 10 statements fall far short of fully capturing all of the thoughts that filled my mind during our one week retreat, I'd like to share these with you.  Please feel free to comment. 

1. You can spend all of your time complaining about the things in life that you don't like such as work, politics, or your social status; or you can spend more time enjoying the things in life that you do like such as family, friends, travel, or the outdoors.
2. The only requirement to enjoying yourself is time.
3. One's memory is like a photograph.  It fades over time.
4. The outdoors is like a well-planned meal to me.  It provides my soul with energy and nourishment.
5. Paradise is a state of mind.  It can be wherever you are.
   
6. I find great reward in being able to improvise while out in nature, especially while camping.
7. Nature is not partial to one's social standing.  There's no prejudice or racism here.
8. We should always respect the home of the wildlife that reside in the nature/outdoors that we visit, hike, camp, or spend time in.  It is their domain and we are the visitors.
9. A short time spent in the outdoors can help you get the priorities of life correct.
10. I'd rather be awaken by the hooting of an owl than an alarm clock any day!