Camping Karma

     Everyone whom has been camping has experienced something that was not well planned. No showers, loud neighbors, nature eating into a tent for cheetos. This time it wasn’t us. Someone else had a surprise situation. I was in the bathroom on Saturday night at Deception Pass campground. A lady had her kids in the big shower. She tried to stick some quarters in the slots. It didn’t work. Her husband called in through the window to check on them.

“It doesn’t take quarters!”
“What does it take?”
“Tokens! Where do you get tokens?”
Another lady in the bathroom said, “You get them at the front office.”
“Honey, she says you can get tokens at the front office, but it closes at 9.”
“What time is it?”
“You have two minutes.”
“Oh shoot.” And he left
“One of the ladies in the bathroom said she had two tokens back at her campsite, that would give her 6 minutes.
“Thank you! Six minutes, I can work with that.”
“I’m cold.” Said one of the kids.

     I rinsed my hands and Mom-in-law met me at the door, saying that Rick was wondering if I was in there. We walked out to Rick whom had heard the whole thing as well.
“Mom, what about the tokens you got for Amanda?”
“Yup, I’m going to ask her if she is going to use them tonight. I can get her more in the morning or she can shower at home tomorrow morning.”
We went back to the site and Mom got her tokens. She marched into the bathroom and said, “Mom?”
“Yeah?”
“ I have four tokens for you.”
“Really? Thanks. Okay kids get ready.”
     Mom walked back out and we listened to the mother instructing her kids to soap up and rinse off.

     We all walked back the site. Mom started to tell everyone what happened. Rick and I were curious to see what would happen so we walked back to the bathroom. Up walked the husband, rather rushed and frazzled.
“It was closed when I got up there. I don’t know what to do.”
“It’s okay, one lady brought me two tokens from her site because she said she had kids too and sometimes they need a shower before bed. Then another lady came in and said, ‘Mom? Mom?’ and gave me four more. We have plenty of time now!”
“Really? Awesome. That’s really nice.”
     Rick and I stood outside quietly listening; glad that we could see good karma being acted out. We walked back to the site and told Mom and everyone about it.

The Karma:

     Quite simple really, Mom helped out a lady whom otherwise was in a rather unfortunate situation. That lady didn’t have to make her kids go to bed dirty. She herself got to clean up the signs of camping. For me it reassured me that not all people are bad and selfish. It was totally awesome that the other woman and Mom gave away something as simple as a $1.50 worth of tokens but it seemed to make a couples nights easier and the kids cleaner. It is the little things that count, like a gifted shower on a cool September night.