CONFESSION TIME
Addictions are obsessive behaviors that result in negative consequences. I have tendencies for obsessive behavior. Work is one. I must be productive and I thoroughly enjoy work. I have been known to work for 24 to 48 hours non-stop; not because I necessarily have to, but because I want to. This is bad for people relationships. I now have this under control – I don’t want to hurt my relationship with my wife – she is too important to me.
Last week I realized I have another addiction. This one started decades ago.
I AM ADDICTED TO DESERTS
It started when I was a teenager. A group of us went camping near Pearblossom, California for a few days. During the trip I climbed a small mountain peak to watch a full lunar eclipse. From that point on, I was hooked. As the years went by, my desert addiction took me to just about every state in lower 48 that has a desert. Into the deepest Grand Canyon and to the tops of many desert mountain peak. Across plains and bajadas, along rivers, and into smaller canyon; the list goes on and on. I even moved to a desert in 1977, where I still live. And almost every week of the year you will find me hiking, backpacking or camping in a desert. Most weekends and vacations are spent in deserts. I can’t stop it.
NEGATIVE CONSEQUENCES
The negative consequence? The house remodel I started 14 years ago is still not finished. It can wait.
Last Wednesday night I surveyed the garage, which no longer has room to house our two vehicles. It is in a state of disarray, with several semi-completed projects taking up all the floor space. It will take days to tidy things up. I contemplated the task, and decided, like the house remodel — it can wait.
The desert can’t wait. So once again, this weekend found us camped in the desert.
And now I think my wife has become addicted. She joins me on most of my desert hikes and camping trips. I do the backpacking solo. I didn’t force her; it wasn’t my fault. She just started coming with me, and the deserts captivated her, just like a heroin drip.
