If you ask me what's that one thing that makes you happy, it would be camping for sure. And though there are many such "one thing"s that make me happy, camping without a doubt, falls under the top five. And every time someone tells me they've had a real camping experience, my eyes sparkle. Because I believe, everyone should go camping at least once in their lifetime.

Camping is so exciting because you learn to find resources around you. Thirsty? Find an active waterfall and drink up fresh water from it. Need a trekking pole? Find a long, sturdy stick and use it instead. Famished? Pick fruits from the trees. Need a dish? Use a broad leaf instead. 

You learn so many things when you camp because clearly, you don't have those many resources with you. You're neither at your home nor living in a city. You're around nature and gradually, you learn to make the most of it.

If you're losing touch with a friend or need rebounding with your partner, then a night in the wild will bring you close. It's something about the soothing air that encircles you as you sit quietly, looking back at memories, talking about your vulnerable points, sharing stories. Sometimes bonds are repaired by just sitting by the bonfire, staring at it, and exchanging smiles. 

Are you afraid of wild animals or snakes? Or insects and reptiles? 

I remember being too scared of leopards every time I camped on a mountain (especially when villagers talked about leopard sightings). It's a fear I am still overcoming. A challenge that though creeps me out also makes me strong and resilient side by side. Certainly the fear of leopards has faded over time. Camping teaches you to overcome your fears of staying in the wild. 

One of the reasons why I love camping is because I love nature and being surrounded by it. Camping allows you to sleep under a sky full of stars; it lets you wish upon a shooting star. It allows you to hear the mysterious sounds coming from the earth as you lie on the ground. It lets you experience nature at its brand new, renewed form when the mist floats on top of a lake in December, where the sun rises throwing purple-pink hues, when the morning dew makes your shiver, when the trees are swaying gently after a wholesome sleep. Camping lets you enjoy nature at its truest form. 

And the best part about camping? It is the very thought of disconnecting from the world, the pseudo identity, your job, your tensions. It's breaking free from all the chaos. Your task list, your debts, your worries, your past. It's where you become one with nature and bond with friends and family.