Sometimes self-care means canceling plans you’ve been looking forward to

Last Friday, I found myself in a situation that many outdoor enthusiasts can relate to: the dreaded decision to cancel a camping trip due to a rain forecast. This would have been our first camping trip of the season, at a spot we've visited at least once a month from April to October over the past few years.

My husband and I started camping about three years ago, and we quickly discovered it to be a wonderful escape from our small apartment, where we find ourselves 24/7. Since we both work from home, the line between work and personal time often blurs. Camping at the top of Mt. Diablo provides the perfect escape, and we had already sorted out our camping weekends for the year.

The sad truth is, we’re not canceling because the rain would make camping less enjoyable. In fact, I find it quite cozy to be in a tent, listening to the soothing pitter-patter on the rain fly while enjoying meaningful conversations. The real issue is that our small apartment leaves us with nowhere to dry a wet tent, which ultimately led to the cancellation of this weekend's trip. The anxiety of drying the tent became overwhelming, making it feel better to cancel, despite how much we were looking forward to it.

Camping is such a joy when working together with my husband. We prepare the trip, set up camp, and then he enjoys building a fire in his mini stove. Dinner invariably includes Yakiniku (焼肉 - grilled meat), which we pair with a salad and the Tsukemono (漬物 - pickled vegetables) I prepare at home. We would gaze at a glorious sunset over the valley, stretching all the way across to San Francisco and the Bay. From the top of Mt. Diablo, you can even see Mt. Tamalpais—it's a breathtaking place to spend time.

So, while we missed out on camping this weekend, I decided to try something new: disconnecting from social media and making time for meaningful conversations instead. It was challenging, and I didn’t succeed at everything, but I did manage to do better than most weekends.

By Sunday night, I felt more rested, and I plan to honor that feeling in the upcoming weekends as well.

What do you do when your plans fall through?