I have heard tell of people soaking in the splash of seed catalogues as a reminder that the earth is capable of soft.

As for me, it is the REI catalogue that wings my imagination.

I got my dividend check in the mail yesterday and it has sparked a delightful run on summer thoughts.  I page through the catalogue wondering what kind of gadget simply must be mine.

Maybe this year is the year of the new tent.  Every year I take teens into the Boundary Waters.  We have a great crew of adults who know the rhythm of it all and together we make village together on the edge of the big wilderness.  Last year began a yearly tradition of taking a group of women in.  It is yet another excuse to be on the water in the midst of wild.  Creation is teacher and therapist, both.

For years I have wanted my own tent.  I’ve borrowed Cooper’s (this is love, to allow another to borrow their tent) for years.   It’s a fine tent, but for a long time there has been a longing for a tent of my own in which to dwell for a time.

So the REI check and catalogue have me examining tents.  What color, what style, what weight; what matters?  I know before too long I’ll be at the store clinching the deal.

And in the meantime, I am no longer in the midst of winter.  I am setting up camp in some impossibly beautiful site,  savoring coffee and sparkling water and the reassuring zip into the tent of my dreams after a day spent living in my body.

It may be spring/winter outside, but inside, I have canoe paddle in hand and I’m off on adventure.

Not a bad dividend!