What I Don't Do Well

Sometimes, I think my life is more about finding out what I'm not good at doing than discovering what exactly it is I'm so gifted for! I've written on several occassions that I'm not a good missionary. That doesn't mean I don't love missions or even that I don't do missions, just that I'm not particularly good at it. I've probably shared with many of you that I'm not at children's ministry. It doesn't mean I can't do it or that children suffer when I'm in charge, just that it wears me out with an exhaustion I can hardly describe. Other things I'm not exactly good at include but are not limited to: music (ask Lauren about high school band and/or youth choir!), athletics (this is a particular disappointment as the only child of a football coach!), matchmaking (sorry everyone whose ever fallen prey to those attempts -- you know who you are!), and time management (it's not that I am not aware of dates and times, just that I tend to prioritize fun a little to highly!). This weekend, I added something new to the list. I am not a good camper. It's not that I'm bad at it. I just don't love it. I like it, some. But, I don't love it. I think the moral of the story for me is that just because I can do something doesn't mean I have to or that I should. :-) SuperDave the Boy Scout took several of us camping at Enchanted Rock this weekend, and he was kind enough to allow me to tag along. We drove down on Saturday morning, stopping along the way at a Dam, then at the nesting site of a bald eagle, and at Cooper's BBQ in Llano. Then, we arrived at the State Park. We loaded our stuff onto our backs, hiked a mile and a half up to the camp, set up tents, hiked back for our water, and commenced with dinner preparations. I use the term "we" here very lightly. I was completely at a loss for what to do once we reached the camp site. I know nothing about putting up a tent, cooking on a miniature stove, or digging a hole to bury excess food. Trust me. I was born with the gifts of supervision and delegation. ;-) SuperDave, the beast of a man that he is, prepared quite the feast for us on Saturday evening and we were not lacking for breakfast either as we dined on chocolate chip pancakes and bacon! After breaking down camp and hiking back to the cars, we headed up the side of Enchanted Rock. This amounted to a 20 minute climb up the side of a steep but smooth giant rock with wind threatening to knock us down constantly. Had it not been for my ridiculously long pony tail, my cap would have been gone about halfway up! (Russell, your dad would have been proud of all of us! ;-) After climbing Enchanted Rock, our plan was lunch in Fredricksburg then picking fresh strawberries and heading home. The problem was, I was over the 24 hour mark for a hot shower (which means I was FILTHY) and I had slept on rocks all night (which means I was grumpy). Oh, and I grew up in a family that didn't take road trips. We took vacations to destinations, but none of this stopping along the way to enjoy the sites. I liked that part on the way down a LOT, but once we pointed our cars back north, I just wanted to get there. Good thing I have patient and good-natured friends! Overall, the weekend was a blast, but I think I can add camping to the list of things I just don't do well. :-) I asked SuperDave if he'd let me camp again sometime. He said it all depends on how much Egbert's willing to pay him to take me back out there!