The first time I went camping as a city kid, I found out what real darkness was and knew I had found something special. Except for my first summer, every summer of college was marked by working at summer camp. I should have known as a young Girl Scout I was bound to love camping. And as much as I love our modern world, I realize that getting out of your comfort zone and sleeping outdoors helps you to see yourself in a different way.

Camping always challenges and stretches me in some way and this summer's expedition was no exception. It can bring in a whole new set of challenges when you go with people you love. Are we still going to get along when our food takes forever to cook or gets overcooked on the fire? How do we act when things don't go the way we planned? Sure, life is great when we live in a house together and have our own separate bedrooms, but what happens when everyone's stuffed together in one tent?

We camped out at Salisbury Beach State Reservation; the first two days was with one of my best friends, her five-year-old niece, and my husband joined us for the last overnight. There were lessons and blessings sprinkled throughout the time. I have set up small two person tents a few times; my friend had bought an eight person tent (pictured below); I had never before put up a tent that big. Thankfully, our neighbors were experienced campers and were willing to dive in and help us. It took over an hour, but eventually it was up and beautiful. Since we had both been snapping at each other and were hot and flustered, we needed to cool off literally and figuratively, so we hit the beach.

Every day, we hit the beach. We started fires, we showered, we worked things out. Overall, we communicated well. One day it stormed, and the quality of the tent was tested. We had our issues like on the third day, when I could not get the fire to catch and didn't want help. The neighbors ended up helping us out; it was a humbling experience, to say the least. But spirits renewed and feelings were expressed.

On our way home we stopped at Buffalo Wild Wings, and it felt like a perfect end to all of it, to just get to sit back and be served and enjoy a good meal together. There was no way we were going to cook another meal, after all that.

I want to end by sharing some reasons I love camping and why I think it's something everyone should experience even if there more the type to spend a day watching Netflix then going for a hike.

Community: Sure you can camp alone (many people do), but community really stood out to me over our trip. It was clear that my friend and I could not have had a successful trip without each other. It was also great to have people around us who were willing to lend a hand; continuing the cycle, when we had extra wood at the end of our trip, we gave it away. Campers are generally good people who just want to enjoy nature and have a good time. It felt good knowing there were kind, helpful people around us and that at our best we were being kind and helpful to each other.

Accomplishment: Through our teamwork, we were able to set up a tent, plan fun things to do, care for a five year old, make fires, cook dinner, and make things happen. The rewards of camping at least in my eyes are huge. There is something special about setting up a place for yourself and others to sleep that doesn't match the satisfaction of making your bed at home. It's amazing what you can do with a few supplies, determination, and teamwork.

Connection to Nature: This one is huge, being a born and raised city kid, it's all too common for us in the city to get disconnected from nature. I remember so many girls coming to the camp I worked at explaining this was the first time they'd ever been in the woods! The small lawns and scattered trees we build into the city are nothing compared to the woods and oceans God's created. One morning, I woke up quite early and was in awe of the view around me, the sun breaking out from the horizon, the vast ocean, and the life around me just waking up. In those moments, I always feel so alive and so connected to God I can hardly describe it.

Able to Be: In my mind, this is the greatest reward of camping. At home I feel like I must be doing something, maybe it's being American, my personality, or just feeling like there is always something to do, so I better go do it. At camp, though, the only obligations are sleeping and eating. No appointments or places to go, just people and nature to enjoy. I got to just be for a few days. I didn't go online (much, maybe next time I should just leave the phone at home), so I wasn't hearing about the latest hard thing, I wasn't making plans or answering emails. I simply was. I read, I talked, I went to the beach, I thought, I ate, I slept. Repeat. And while it's always good to come home, it reminds me that I have to make moments in my day to recharge and refresh and just be.

Even if you don't go camping this summer, I hope you get out in nature and let yourself just be; I promise it will do your mind, body and soul some good.