The week I fell in love with camping

For as long as I can remember, I hated camping. My idea of roughing it was staying at a Holiday Inn Express.

Seriously—what’s the draw? You’re hauling a bunch of your stuff just to live on dirt. I already sleep terribly at home, and now I’m supposed to sleep on the ground? At home, I shower twice a day—minimum. And you’re telling me the public showers at this place haven’t seen hot water in weeks?

Can someone please explain the appeal?

And yet… as I type this, I’m questioning everything.

Because last week, we took our kids camping—and I FREAKING LOVED EVERY SECOND OF IT.

To be fair, I still have zero interest in a packed campsite where I can hear my neighbor snoring through the tent wall. But Liz—the planner of all planners—found us the most incredible place imaginable. 

We were up in the Jamul Mountains in East County San Diego. We had an entire mountain to ourselves. Rocks to climb, hills to hike, coloring books to color, and a toilet with a view. We didn’t see another soul for 4 days. Pure magic.

So what changed?

First, I’ve been craving peace.

The world is loud. Obligations, to-do lists, notifications, bills, calls—it never stops.

But the best part of my day? Early mornings. The quiet ones. The ones before the rest of the world wakes up.

That camping trip gave me four full days of that feeling. The peace. The presence. The clarity. Sure, my kids weren’t exactly quiet—but you get the point.

Second, I’ve redefined comfort.

I used to think comfort was the goal. Now, I think it can be overrated.

Growth comes from discomfort. And even just a few days of getting outside my comfort zone in the great outdoors led to growth.

And finally, it reminded me why I’m chasing simplicity.

(Hence the new handle: @simplylivinwithstu)

It was simple out there. Just the essentials. And the less I had to manage, the more at peace I felt. Coming home made me realize—it’s time to clear some more space.
No, I’m not saying you should sell everything and move off-grid. (Although… it’s starting to sound kind of nice.)

But I am encouraging you to take inventory.

✨ What do you actually need?

✨ What’s adding peace to your life—and what’s adding chaos?

✨ What could you remove, simplify, or do differently… today?

In the meantime, I’ll be over here finding a spot for our next camping trip.

See you out there,

—Stu

P.S. Want to find a killer campsite? Check out Hipcamp.com. We stayed at Whiteside Mountain last week and I can’t recommend it enough.