Kristine Joy, Writer

To Whom It May Concern and FWIW,*

• While camping, I need for my husband to supply the wood….and yes, I mean that two-fold.
  • To collect kindling, pine straw and wood so that there is enough to feed the fire building monster within me all night long.
  • And once the fire building monster is sated, to supply wood to feed the joy of sex within me the remainder of the night long.

• I need to make a point of notating the lingo in these parts of the country so that I can speak in correct terms with the locals. This here is a river in New Mexico and this here is a creek in Colorado.

• Upon pulling into Fawn Lakes Campground in New Mexico, I needed for a stroke of luck to obtain us Site #5, which is in fact the BEST site in the campground. You heard it here first, and I need you to allow us first crack at reserving this site during the third week of June each and every foreseeable June.

• I needed to have met kid Carson, who is NOT named after Carson National Forest (thought I had that one figured out), at Fawn Lakes Campground. His parents, in their sixties, told me they adopted him because his Dad is a drug addict. Anytime that I was near Carson’s site, he would call out, “Hi!! You can stay. Do you need help?” The world needs more kids like Carson, and more of the the type of people that adopt kids like Carson.

• At 6 AM, with the temperature just above 50, and mosquitoes already feasting, I need for a watched pot on the Coleman stove to boil because I need to be sipping hot coffee from the mosquito free comfort of our screen tent sooner rather than later.

• I need for Lu, our middle child dog that probably feels like a middle child dog at home because little boy pug Scout is overly attention seeking, to be the bestest travel and camping dog you could imagine. We often have to remind ourselves that she is with us. And I need for her to find this bed of straw in the sun because if this doesn’t spell happiness…

• I need to look older than 30 so that the host couple at Vallecito Campground does not look at me flabbergasted when I tell them that my husband has a Senior pass (making the reservation half price). If it weren’t even more awkward, I’d lead with, “I was born in the 70’s and my husband has a Senior pass.”
  • And I need for my husband to live at least another 17 years so that I retain the benefit of a Senior pass because “you don’t know what you have until you don’t have it” except I’m well aware of what we have in the form of a benefit!
  • And I need for medicare to have the option of carrying a spouse because, well, healthcare costs (also meant two-fold).

• I need for all to abide by the “Dead Out” fire slogan because, well, wildfires (are often not started by the wild). We do and this was easy at Fawn Lake because Carson carried pots of water to and from the river for us. 
  • I need to not fill the entire campground, and neighboring campgrounds, with smoke the next morning because the wood is still wet. If we had needed to hide from danger, that danger would have had no trouble finding us.

• I needed to have improved all of the metrics on my Garmin while camping….sleep scores, HRV, + 2 Performance Points while trail running, etc.

• We needed to have found Red River Brewing & Distillery and the free riverside hot springs pools in Pagosa Springs as two of the best places to have a date while on a camping trip.

• While camping, and especially following a campsite strength workout via use of a gallon of water and 5 gallon water container, I needed to consume an appropriate amount of protein for breakfast.

• I needed to have written the post you’re reading and this short story during my stay at Fawn Lakes campground. IF I earn $33 for having written this post or the story, because the writings served as entertainment, or promotion of Fawn Lakes Campground, Red River (and the businesses within), Taos, the Enchanted Loop drive, or the products we use while camping, I will have earned our keep ($11 per night with the Senior pass).

I appreciate your readership. I need the validation as writer; if there is a like or heart icon for you to depress, I’d most appreciate the support!

Sincerely,

K.J. Sculling

* The content is presented as “needs”, and some of them may front a harsh reality that evoke strong emotions. Others are expressed in pure jest to entertain myself (and maybe you?!?). Ultimately, the notion that we all live in a more idyllic world is at the core and not actual need. Life can be tough; regardless of your own circumstances, please keep up the fight because life can also be grand! The idea of ‘I Need…’ stemmed from my thought process while sitting at a red light listening to the song, Alright by Darius Rucker, on the radio (you can read the original ‘Idealist’ post here and all ‘Idealist’ posts here). If you’re inspired to submit your own ‘Idealist’ “needs” for future reader write-in posts, I’d love to hear from you via this form.