“I stuck my head out the jeep window to smell the fresh cut grass. I watched as the houses became more spread out and eventually disappearing and transforming into a forest. I turned my head to the left to see my friend singing along to a Passion Pit song with a huge grin on her face. I peered backed out the window and gazed as the different types trees morphed into one green and brown blur. Suddenly, though, my daze was interrupted by my friend shouting over the music, “Do you want to stop and get firewood?” I shook my head, and she turned right. “I can’t believe we are doing this right now,” I said as we parked the car by a pile of wood. She laughed and then replied, “I know I hope we don’t get caught.”
   

At first, it was an ordinary Friday night in the middle of July. Before I could even comprehend what had just happened, my best friend Lexi calls me asking me what I am doing. I proceed to tell her about how I just got into a fight with my boyfriend and am sitting in my room car-less with nothing “to do. She laughs and says, “perfect; I am coming to pick you up! Be there in 20! Bring a pillow and blanket.” I hung up the phone and remembered how she was supposed to be in Washington D.C. this weekend. Laughing to myself, I considered why she might be home and why I would need a pillow and blanket. But before I came up with a conclusion I get a text from her saying “here.” I say goodbye to my parents and tell them I’m staying Lexi’s for the weekend.

I walk out and open the car to see her smiling.
“Okay, dude what are we doing?”
“Going camping of course!”
   

When we parked by the mound of wood, a man in blue jeans and a red shirt came out of a small hut with a bright open sign in the window. He said in a friendly tone, “5 for a bunch.” The guy had a tag attached to his hat, and I asked him what It was for,

    “What’s that thing on your hat.”
    “Well, it’s a fishing card of course!”
   

My shoulders sunk and I felt embarrassed. “He probably thinks I have no idea what I’m “doing here,” I thought to myself. As we were picking out the firewood, I made sure Lexi knew that we got some twigs and grass to start the fire. She picked out her wood of choice. As she went to get her wallet from the car, I scanned the area and went off into another daze. I was so fascinated by the sereneness of the landscape. I gazed off into the distance to a lake and saw all the fishermen with tags on their hats sitting waiting to catch a fish. They might have been there all day or just arrived. They have no care about the weather on not they grab a fish but are enjoying the quietness and the soft sounds of nature. I wanted to appreciate the silence with them all day.
   

I tilted my head back and looked up at the sky observed the birds as they flew in “a perfect triangle form as if they were a plane but would never land. The birds had nowhere to be but were always together. Although I can’t fly, my experience relates to that of the birds. They had nowhere to be, and a specific place to go, and the birds without a doubt did not have to tell anyone where they are going and why they left.
   

My friend came back from her car and handed the man a five dollar bill. He laughed and took the money, “you can take a few more logs if you’d like.” After hearing this, I woke out from my deep thought and helped her grab more wood and put it in her car.

“I’m so glad you asked me to come on this trip.”
   

“I know this is gonna be so much fun.”
   

We got back in the car, and she started it. She turned on the song by The Shins, and we both started singing along and drove off. All my worries went away, and I was happy to be with my best friend.