Hi Folks, today I want to talk about the Kimbo camper and safety in the outdoors. These are the kinds of things that other camper manufacturers might not talk about. Today I want to describe the kind of security it brings when you’re out exploring and camping.
Have you ever been inner-tubing or wakeboarding and been tossed into the water? If you have, I’d bet you can relate to that moment when the boat is driving away and about to realize it’s time to turn around and come pick you up again. It’s pretty scary being in the open water; there’s a part of your mind that imagines a hand or a giant lake octopus grabbing at your ankle. It’s a relief to get back on the tube or back in the boat.
It’s human nature to be concerned with bobbing in the water, not knowing what’s hundreds of feet below you. It’s human nature to need time to acclimate to uncertainty, to feel comfortable in the presence of it.
The uncertainty that happens at the lake is the same thing that happens in the wild, but replace the giant octopus with a bear or a nature-loving Birkenstock-wearing Freddy Krueger.
Here’s what I’m saying: the sense of safety and relief that you feel going from the water to the boat is the same sense of safety you feel in going from a tent to a hard sided camper with a bolt lock and shades.
That transition from uncertainty to security is called psychosomatic safety and it’s pre limbic. There’s no way to turn it off and even the toughest lumberjack feels it too.
I’ve been in some places with my Kimbo that scared me. It’s dark out and you’re in the middle of nowhere without reception. There are coyotes howling in the distance and you’re alone. It’s so quiet that you can hear occasional scurrying in the woods beyond. These are the kinds of moments when I’ve been grateful to not have a tent. These are the moments when I turn on the roof fan to setting # 1 for a little white noise and look up at the stars through the front window and read a few chapters of a kindle.
Nature is scary. But it’s facing uncertainty that gives us memories. It’s seeing something grand for the first time that gives us memories. It’s jumping in the water despite the octopus that gives us memories. And after a while you learn to bob there in the lake and know that you’re ok, the boat is near. Giant octopus are scared of boats, and a bear is scared of a space pod in the back of your truck that has motion sensor lights. You’re safe.
Thanks for reading my letter. I don’t know who you are or where you’re reading this from but I just want to say that I hope you have a great week ahead, that you and your family are in good health, and that you’re feeling gratitude in your life, no matter the circumstances.
Talk to you soon,
-M