We had completed our summer trip. Each night, we stayed in a different location—a different campsite or a different hotel—a new setting for every evening.
On our first night home, it was nice to have a proper shower. Camp showers feel great when sweaty and dirty, but wearing sandals and finding a clean place to put our clothes can be a hassle. Home is home and is always nice. Even sleeping in our bed for the first time in weeks was soothing. We have a nice air mattress that is almost as good as our bed, but the campsites are only sometimes level, and there have been a few nights where I found myself sliding down to the foot of the bed.
On our first night home, showered, clean, and exhausted, I crawled into bed and fell asleep within seconds. Maybe things would have been different had I not had so much pop before bed, but I needed to wake up. I was genuinely confused about where I was. I sat up in bed. I thought I was at a campsite. When I put my feet on the ground, I was confused. It was significantly higher than our air mattress that was on the ground. I assumed that I must be in a hotel. Then I stood up and noticed it was so dark. I guessed I was in our tent – it is excellent at blocking out the light and is dark, especially in the middle of the night. The floor was hard, not soft and lumpy like at most campsites, so I began to think I was in a hotel. I took a couple of steps and noticed a window. The way I had the curtain made me feel that I was in some castle villa. Hey, our car is outside. I was more confused than ever. I stood there bewildered. I had no idea where to go. I saw the bedroom door, which was even more confusing because our tent had no wooden door. I turned the knob and was surprised that I was not standing outside.
I pried my eyes open and discovered, to my delight (now urgently) that there was a bathroom right beside our tent/hotel/villa/wherever we were. I entered the bathroom and discovered that this bathroom had lights installed. As I squinted through the glaring brightness, I saw a toothbrush and a bottle of Listerine. I stared at these items. Slowly, it came to me that I was, in fact, home. I was not in a tent. I am not staying over in a hotel. I was not sleeping in one of the several castles we have visited over the years.
I was home.
It was a confusing moment in my life. Each step made me think I was somewhere else. This is one of the hazards of travel, especially when we are in a different place every night.
I am glad I found the toilet and did not go into a closet, thinking it was an outhouse. Now, that would have been hard to explain.
