The Best 3 Friends That Anyone Could Ever Have

This past weekend I went backpacking, hiking, and camping in Tahoe for the 2nd Annual "Near Labor Day Weekend Backpacking/Camping/Hiking Mancation." Only three of us (Joe, Zach, and myself) could make it this year, but it was still awesome.

The best 3 friends that anyone could ever have.

I don't know how many of you have had the opportunity to spend some time in and around South Lake Tahoe, but it is easily one of the most beautiful places on the earth. Last year we found a beautiful little lake called Dardanelle with a perfect camping site in the woods about 100 yards from the lake and we liked it so much that we decided to do it again this year. Besides the stupid, lazy fish that wouldn't let us catch and eat them it was nearly a perfect camping weekend. The scenery was beautiful, the hiking was fun and easy, the weather wasn't too hot or too cold, and our phones didn't die (allowing me to take crap-tons of pictures).

 The hike

Lake Dardanelle

With that said, the highlight of this year was something I had never experienced: reading a book aloud around the campfire. Reading is one of my favorite things, but when Joe threw out the idea I have to admit that I was a bit skeptical about reading a book aloud with 2 other dudes. We decided to read read one of my favorites and an American classic, "Fahrenheit 451" by  Ray Bradbury. We each took turns reading about 15 pages and it turns out that we were able to finish the entire book in only 2 nights of reading. It was an awesome experience and one that I hope to repeat in the future.

Joe reading by the campfire with the aid of a headlamp

The book was written in the '50's and is a bit odd, but in a lot of ways it is very fitting for our time and reading it gave me time to reflect on my own life and the relationships that I have. One of the main themes of the book is that people are so consumed with TV and other forms of media that they don't have time for people anymore. This is something I see more and more in our society today. For example, have you ever gone to dinner with a bunch of friends and at some point during the dinner noticed that instead of talking everyone is on their phones?

The whole experience of the weekend reminded me of something that has become very apparent to me over the past few years, that enjoyment in life is a direct result of the relationships in our lives.

There honestly isn't anything in life that makes me happier than spending time with friends and family. Taking the time to care about other people and build relationships are the most important investments we can make in this life to be happy. Sure, we might be disappointed by people from time to time, but investing our selves and our time in other people is worth it. Getting to know someone, becoming friends with someone, confiding and trusting in someone, caring about someone, and being a part of someone's life are the most gratifying things we can experience in life. I dare you to think of something that brings you more long-lasting joy and happiness.What? You can't think of any? That's cause there aren't any.

Therefore, I propose that we spend more time with people. When we go to dinner with our friends let's put the smartphones down and talk with each other. Let's enjoy the people we are with.

Invest your time in people and you will invest in happiness.