The Elusive Kidless Adventure

I suffer from a condition. I do not now what the medical name for this condition is, but symptoms aggressively present themselves when I have been inside too long. I get a little itchy and maybe a little grumpy. OK, bit of an understatement. After a couple of days without my outside fix I am an ass. Just ask my wife. She has a plethora of feelings on the subject. All well deserved. I am lucky that she knows me so well, because when I get that look in my eye she will suggest very sweetly that I get the hell away from her. I don’t blame her.

Really, all I need is thirty min. Just a half hour run or ride and I am reset. It’s a new me. I am like those people in the Snickers commercials, but all I need is a shot of fresh air. I talked about my morning runs with Lila in my previous post. Little adventures like that really clear my head and keeps the cranky at bay.

Most of the time this small effort works beautifully, but sometimes I just need more clarity, more time, and more mountains. I need an adventure without the kids. As I continue to adjust and refine my role as a stay at home parent (I know its been months now but hey this shit is hard) I notice that the bucket that holds all of my sanity gets empty every once in a while, and I need a little more recharge than usual. An outing with actual adults is great way to replenish my stability. I think that it is important to interact with actual grownups so I don’t get weird, but if these stars don’t align, and nobody can break free, I am perfectly happy to go it alone. Being by myself in the woods is a great way to get my head back on straight.

I get my fill of running with Lila, but a trail run in the mountains is a pretty rad adventure. Our stroller is tough, but some nice steep singletrack with a view is pretty rewarding, and the BOB wont make it up those trails. Usually for those elusive kidless times I choose to ride my mountain bike. I only get out a couple times a month so it is hard to pass up any opportunity to hit the trails. There are so many options in Whatcom and Skagit counties that it doesn’t take all that much time to get a ride in. Not too long ago I did quite a bit of snowboarding and flyfishing, but these outings took up a bit more time, and with the birth of Lila my chunks of availability have shifted. The point I am trying to make however is it really doesn’t matter what I am doing, as long as I am outside and breathing fresh air.

With how crazy this life is, I can’t justify these kidless outings all the time, and truthfully I don’t want to. I love spending time with my family, and getting the kids outside is a life goal of mine…hence the blog. When my condition hits though, I know that I can rely on my family to totally hate my guts and kick my out for a couple of hours. Family…thank you for knowing what’s best for this dad and encouraging me to get out and adventure away all my cranky vibes and buttish tendencies. You ladies are the best. Love ya.