Why Back Pain Makes Me Happy

Wanting less and needing less

I’ve loved camping ever since my second trip when I was 13 years old. Since then I’ve done 5-day backpacking trips, drive-out trips, and canoe trips with all different groups of people.

This morning I was thinking, why do I like camping so much? My quick answer is that it’s time out in nature, where we belong. But honestly, it feels deeper than that. I wake up on the ground with only a tarp over my head aching from the big tree root molding my back into a new shape… with a huge smile on my face. I even laugh as I get a whiff of my buddy beside me’s gross morning breath.

Why is that so much fun? Why smile and laugh? If that happened to me in my bed, I’d be complaining for weeks.

I think I found the answer while reading this morning. Publius Syrus said,

“The less a mortal desires, the less he needs”

(The moral Sayings of Publius Syrus, 213)

When I’m out in the woods, I don’t desire much. I want my food to be satiating. I want to be mostly dry when I sleep. I want cleanish water. That’s about it.

At home, I want my food to taste good and be quickly prepared. I want my bedroom to be cold and the pillows to be the right height so my shoulder can rest comfortably. I want coffee and tea and lattes and protein shakes and I want them all to have the perfect flavor.

The less I want, the less I need. No wonder I feel so at peace in the woods. The less I need, the easier to have everything I need.

Question of The Day

What do you say you need but you really just want?

Ask yourself today what you really need. When you’re unhappy, ask if you need this to change, or if you just want this to change. Try to find some peace.

Your Friend,

Noah “BigNerd” Sochaczevski