Every day, while scrolling through Social Media, I see where someone has just purchased new gear and they are so excited they just cannot help but share with the world. I guess in the old days, before internet, we had to get on the phone (called a landline phone that had a cord attached to the wall), call all of our friends, and tell them whatever we just picked up or opened for Christmas. Even though times have changed, and ways of communicating have changed, things have not changed much when it comes to “This is incredible! This is life changing! I have to tell somebody!”

The excitement can be all we can take sometimes. If we keep it in, we will explode. It is like the day a beautiful lady is asked for her hand in marriage. It is like the day the announcement is made that baby is on the way and again the day the gender is discovered. As a child, you cannot wait to tell everyone what Santa left you under the tree or how much the tooth fairy left under your pillow. It is natural for us to want to share with others the good, the life changing, epic times in our life when good things happen!

This is a breath of fresh air when, in today’s society, we are bombarded with bad news. Every news channel, every day, speaks of a murder here, robbery there, government changes with inflation or higher gas prices. Each night we are taken aback with news of who passed away, someone being abducted, a natural disaster or other horrible tragedies. It is to this news where most people are drawn. Even on Social Media our attention, without knowing it, is glued to the Fail Army, watching one person after another incur broken bones or injuries while attempting stunts or just living daily life. It is entertaining and funny, but it is not wholesome and good for those it is happening to.

We juggle life handling and dealing with the good and the bad. We find ourselves saying, “If it can happen, it will happen.” We experience the real life of trying to thread the nut on the bolt but dropping it into the center of nowhere never to be seen again. We have lived life where that tie rod has snapped or the tire went flat. We have broken things and bent things. We have arrived late and missed the party. No one is exempt and we just move on claiming, “It is what it is.”

But then there are the good days. Yes, they may come more often for others than they do for us, but we do not care. We want to shout from the mountaintops and let the whole world know that today is our day! Whether we have just “built not bought” our rear seat delete or just spent the last week building our drawer system from scratch. Whether we have just graduated from that Wal-Mart tent to the new Howling Moon tents from South Africa. We have stepped up our game. We just bought a Skottle and now we are REAL Overlanders! We came home to find that our new stove arrived, our new diesel heater, our new rack for the Tacoma or we just bought a new Tacoma! It is our day! This is our day!

It is a feeling like no other. It is a day that we mark down. This is the beginning of the new me. This is the day. We made it. Our life will be so much easier and better now. I cannot believe we actually did it. We pulled the plug; we hit the button and made the order. Now it is here, and we will enjoy life that much better in the wild.

No, we do not need everything under the sun. There is a ton of awesome gear out there, but most of it I realize I do not need it. It is nice and I am sure that it will be for someone, just not for me. There is a fine hard line between need and want. Then there are the items that we see and realize, “this will make life much more enjoyable and easier when we are camping.” Those items exist. That gear exists and when we get it in, it is the best day ever!