Thoughts on the outdoors and how it’s become part of my marriage

Dan’s first birds.

Recently, I read Leigh Newman’s essay What a Camping Trip Taught Me About My Marriage (and Myself) in Real Simple and it got me thinking about my own relationship to the outdoors and my husband Dan.

Like Leigh, I come from a family deeply rooted in the outdoors and the sportsman and woman community. So when I traded in my smaller hometown for the big city and stayed my family was a little in shock.  And then when I fell in love with a city boy who loved to mountain bike they were welcoming but a little surprised.  While Dan loved the outdoors and worked at outdoor camps he had never been hunting or exposed to the sportsman community.  My brother joked that Dan had to “kill something” before becoming a part of our family.  And even though it was said with a smile, we took it seriously.

Dan and I signed up for hunter safety and before long we were sitting side-by-side in the duck blind. We got skunked a few times but then we went pheasant hunting and Dan brought home a bird.  I was beyond proud and even more excited about our pending nuptials.  And my family saw how Dan and I shared the outdoors with each other and knew we were the perfect fit.

Spending time together outside whether camping or carrying a gun centers our relationship.  I guess I’m more like Leigh’s husband  day-to-day and by that I mean very type A.  I get stressed about laundry and the house being out of order pretty easily.  But then Dan and I head out the door with our lab and go for a hike or go to the Chesapeake to hunt and I am immediately at ease and forget about all the pending things on my to do list.  The outdoors is our shared happy place and reminds me each time how wonderful our partnership is.

So with that, when you get outside this weekend reflect on what the outdoors has done for you and your relationships.  I think you’ll be encouraged by what you learn!

-W