My in-laws decided to go camping over Labor Day weekend. Normally I love to go camping, but in Oklahoma, my camping time is limited to a few months at the beginning of the year and a few months at the end. Otherwise it is just too hot or too cold. However, the in-laws do have one thing in their camping favor: a pop-up camper with air conditioning. So we pack up the kids and head out to the campground. Now the kids love to go camping, especially with grandma and grandpa because grandma has no rules! So when we arrive, it is Friday evening and the temperature is pleasant. The kids start to explore the campsite as Amy and I unpack our things. Soon I’m grilling hot dogs for the kids and the camping begins.

What I love the most about camping is just the peace and lack of distractions it brings. I love nothing more than to sit in my chair, with attached footrest, and read a book while enjoying the natural surroundings. It gives me a chance to recharge and once again poke my head up and observe the world around me. For the kids, everything is amazing and worth exploring. You’d think they live in the middle of the city the way they get excited about a neatly shaped rock or collecting acorns. They explore nature to its fullest and are truly in awe of their surroundings. It is so wonderful to explore with them and just join the enthusiasm they have.

Another enjoyable thing about camping to me is that it is actually quite a bit of work. Prepping the camp ground, preparing meals, and cleaning up afterwards all take a lot longer out in the woods then it does at home. But that’s all right with me; after all, I have nowhere else to be. At the end of the day you sit around the campfire and just veg out or play a game with the family. I never sleep well while camping so it is not the kind of vacation I come back from rested, but I do come back relaxed.

So the plan was to stay the night on Friday and go back Saturday. My in-laws would be there all weekend, but there were other things we had planned for the holiday. The kids wanted to stay an extra night with grandma and grandpa so Amy and I let them and enjoyed a night to ourselves at home. It felt so good to get home and shower after camping. As I was shaving off a couple days of stubble from my face I realized this mini-camping trip perfectly personified the balance in all things concepts. We roughed it for a while and then enjoyed time by ourselves in relative luxury for a while. While we enjoyed the time away from the kids, we did miss them. Everyone left the campsite tired but happy.

And that is why vacations are so important. You take time to do something different, explore and grow together, and recharge your batteries. But if you end up taking a long vacation, you typically find yourself looking forward to returning to your normal routine. The trick is to find the right balance and enjoy the moments you all have together.