When I broke up with my most recent ex (let's call him John), I wasn't quite sure what I was going to do with myself. I couldn't really afford my own place, I didn't really know what to do with my spare time, and I wasn't really prepared to live alone.
But I did know one thing: my dog and I were going to be just fine.
Karma is something special. She's a shelter mutt. Probably a cross-breed with some cattle dog, some catahoula, some basenji... And let's throw some greyhound and some husky in there for good measure. She's crazy smart and has energy to run for hours. Many, many hours.
When I finally got the guts to move out of my place with John, I found a
I got settled in and quickly realized that when you live by yourself, it's insanely easy to waste away hours on Facebook. Yes, it's insanely easy to waste away hours on Facebook even when you live with someone, but when you're on your own there's no one to hit you over the head with a book and tell you to knock it off. I needed new things to keep me occupied.
So, Karma and I set out on our own down a path I've never really explored before. A path to fulfillment as a single adult. A single adult with a dog.
This neighborhood is a perfect soft landing spot for us. It's peaceful and safe. There are several great trails nearby, and we have taken up trail running as one of our new hobbies. It's fascinating how life's troubles fade away when you're alone with your dog in the woods, trying to focus on spotting wildlife and not tripping on tree roots.
I'm most excited for our first solo camping trip together. I've never camped by myself before. And, to my knowledge, Karma has never been camping at all.
When John and I got together, we bonded over having a love of camping and all things outdoorsy. But to my dismay, we never did make time to go camping or even on any hikes. You'd think I would have realized earlier that this was not a healthy relationship. Loving someone isn't enough to make a partnership last, there has to be that extra element of follow-through and we just didn't have it. Karma came into my life a few months after John and I met, so she hasn't had the opportunity to enjoy a good camping trip, either.
The tent I have owned and loved for many years is a 10' x 17' Coleman. It's a 3 room tent but I never use the partitions so it's always just one giant room. It is waaaaaayyyy too big for an average-sized woman and a dog.
The internet introduced me to my latest tent acquisition, which rode in on a big brown truck yesterday. It's 7' x 5' and is advertised as a "2 person" tent, which we all know is a joke. I think it will do a 5'4" woman and a 50 pound dog just fine, though.
Our trip is still a few weeks away, so in the meantime I'm going to focus on the trails. I entered a 5k that starts at a trailhead within a few miles of my place, so Karma and I need to get ready for that.
I am also still discovering new dog-friendly places near my studio. I'm getting pretty good at keeping busy. Busy is good. Busy keeps me sane and reminds me that I like being single.
I like being single. And I'm pretty sure Karma is enjoying it with me. 🐾
