This Mother’s Day weekend was a satisfying departure from the norm. As the family planner, I typically orchestrate most gatherings at our home, including Mother’s Day. However, this year, I broke the pattern: no meticulous planning, no pre and post-gathering clean-up. Instead, I packed up our camper and embarked on a spontaneous adventure with my mom and son at a nearby campground.

Camping has been part of my DNA since childhood. My earliest memories of camping were going to a Yogi Bear campground with my Grandparents, mom, and aunts. The memory is faint, but I recall something about a sandbox and possibly a potty accident. (OOPS)  I was the only grandchild at the time. Fast forward a bit; my grandparents often camped with their church friends every summer. They always had a camping trailer but slowly upgraded to bigger and nicer ones. Interestingly, I don’t think I ever saw it inside! Again, I don’t recall many other details about these camping trips, but I remember sitting around a big campfire, eating smores, and singing hymns.  

Since becoming an adult, I have gone on many camping adventures - from a small two-person tent near Arches National Park to a giant-sized family tent and canopy at Michigan state parks with my husband and son, to traveling across the country in an RV with our whole blended family to going on a solo backpacking trip with my 5-year-old last year. Suffice it to say, camping is my happy place. Now that I am reflecting on this small sampling of memories, I understand why. 

I only recently learned that my mother loves camping, too. So I planned this weekend for us, marking the first time we had camped together since my childhood and the first time with her grandson. We sat by the campfire and enjoyed the warmth, fresh air, and sounds of nature. We had simple meals and tasty snacks. My son got dirty and exercised freedom as he navigated the campground independently (much to my mother’s concern 😂). It was peaceful. It was nice.

As a mom (and a perfectionist in general), I find it easy to get caught up trying to make everything flawless and plan out every detail. Sometimes, I get so overwhelmed trying to meet everyone's needs that I have to leave myself feeling depleted. Sound familiar? You don’t even have to be a mom to get caught in this cycle of perpetual exhaustion. Many women (mothers of children or not) feel obligated to do for others at the expense of their well-being. One thing I have learned since starting this practice is that imperfection is better than not doing anything at all. I could have waited for everything to be just right to start Seeds of Health. There’s a pretty good chance it may have never happened. I could have put off doing anything this weekend because I didn’t have the energy to flesh it all out, but then it would not have happened. 

I am so glad that I let go of perfection this weekend. My fondest memories from this were unscripted, unplanned, and completely organic - laughing around the campfire with my mom, playing with my son in the pool, and cherishing the importance of being present and its value in our lives.

I hope you honored the mothers and mother figures in your life this weekend. Most importantly, I hope you stopped to smell the “campfire.” We don’t have to wait for a special occasion to honor the ones we love; we don’t have to wait for an invitation just to be present.