On a romantic view of roughing it

Hello Everyone, 

There’s a great This American Life episode where Ira Glass interviews a captain in the US Marines who was the leader of a group of snipers stationed in Iraq during some of the toughest days there. On their downtime, the soldiers, all guys, would avidly watch Gilmore Girls, a show that could charitably called a surprising choice. The show's cast and audience is primarily female, so much so that a very funny part of the interview was the discovery that there were no men's sizes on the show's merchandise website. To a guy who is perhaps less secure in himself, that would be a big disincentive to watching it, or at least to admitting as much. 

But the guy in the interview and his team  were the baddest men in the room wherever they went. They were long past the point of having to prove anything. And a show that was very far removed from the reality of war was a welcome respite. I grew up in very comfortable circumstances, and I think part of the reason why I like eschewing creature comforts, either through sports or camping, is to prove to myself that I don’t need those things. 

Recently, for Jonny's last night with Arthur and I, we got a hotel room by the airport so that he could be sure to catch his early flight. A flight that was unfortunately cancelled, meaning Jonny is now stuck in a Vancouver hotel for the night, waiting for a flight back tomorrow morning. But I digress.

While I enjoy spending a night or two indoors, with showers and running water and such, I feel like it's cheating. That it is not part of the adventure. 

Arthur, on the other hand, is much like that marine captain. He is from much more difficult circumstances than me, and thus has little fear of embracing the comforts of a hotel room. He did not even hesitate before he jumped on the bed last night and was splayed out all morning while I busied myself with preparations for the day. 

He spent the first eight months of his life on the street, so I imagine him not having a romantic view of roughing it. He'll gladly take a spacious room and plush furniture. And probably think little of my hangup about it.  

Wes