You might have noticed that I haven’t published anything here since August (four months ago – where does the time go?!). The truth is, having a demanding full-time job, on top of being mummy to an even more demanding toddler means that I have little time to write anymore, and even less time to go geocaching.
I still ‘identify’ as a geocacher, even if I haven’t found many geocaches lately. I am lacking time, and I suppose, motivation too. I’m stuck in a rut, you could say. There was a time when, if you asked me had I found that cache or solved this puzzle, I would at the very least know which cache you were talking about. I feel a bit out of the loop right now.
Geocaching is always there though. The main reason for that is the geocachers I have met. When I first moved from Bray to Belfast in 2016, local people I had met previously at geocaching events were my only friends. As I hosted and attended events, I met more locals and made more friends.
Most of my ‘finds’ this year have been events, whether attended or hosted (mostly hosted as these fit better in to my schedule). It is undoubtedly a cliché, but it’s true to say that many of our lives would not be the same if not for the people we meet when we’re geocaching and it’s important for me to keep meeting these people, even if I’m not out finding caches all the time.
Join the Club
I recently listened to a podcast where an interviewee was singing the praises of being part of a club, and it got me thinking. Geocaching, for me, is kind of like a club. We all have a shared interest and we meet to talk about it, and about many other things besides. We make friends, we laugh and we have this sense of belonging.
Even when we don’t always have time to go FTF hunting or spend the day pounding the trails to find smileys, we are still allowed to be in the club. Sometimes the only geocaching I do is vicariously through event attendees’ stories of maddening DNFs or amazing field puzzles.
Looking Ahead
I’m not a huge fan of New Year’s Resolutions but I am hoping to make more time for geocaching and blogging in 2020. The geobaby is now a geotoddler and as soon as the spring comes, we’ll be hitting the trails in the hope I can pass on to her a passion for the outdoors and geocaching. At the very least, I’m hoping it will reignite my love for geocaching.
Do you have any tips for getting out of a geocaching slump? Let me know in the comments!
Happy Caching and a very happy 2020!
Sarah
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