Developing Empathy

One of my fondest childhood memories comes more in a montage than a single instance. Every summer, we looked forward to camping in Northern Arizona, usually with cousins. Now that I am older and have organized a few of these things myself, I recognize the tremendous amount of planning and work that goes into a camping trip (probably not as great when it's a regular occurrence, but still substantial). 

In my childhood, though, it was a chance for adventure and freedom. With my brothers and cousins, I enjoyed exploring, discovering, and imagining. One of my favorite memories from our camping trips is always reflecting on the time spent around the campfire. Dinner, singing, story telling - I loved it all. Unfortunately, my dear cousin Dani was always out with the sun. I don't know how much of the campfire experience she remembers because she was notorious for falling asleep as soon as the sun went down. 

I completely understand how she feels now. Since becoming pregnant, I now know exactly what it's like to not be able to keep my eyes open once the sun goes down. It's usually all I can do once I get home to land myself on the couch and not move for the next couple of hours until I crawl into bed.  

Dani, I feel ya!