You know how some things just aren’t your thing, yet, people try and convince you out of it, educate you otherwise, get you to see the error in your ways and become downright evangelical about it, not realizing it’s their thing, not yours?

That is how I feel about cooking, and coffee, and lakes. Let’s start with cooking. It’s not that I don’t know how—anyone can do it, I think. I just don’t want to. It’s a chore; which is strange because I really appreciate eating, and good food, and will go out of my way to find the best sushi, or Thai, or barbeque. Yet, when I cook, it has to be simple and fast. And that is why, of the 80-plus days I was camping, I had around 60 quesadillas for dinner; no exaggeration. A proper quesadilla, with spinach, refried beans and salsa, tackles about three or four food groups, is easy to make, and tastes good. I did an inventory of my food supplies halfway through my trip and laughed at how ambitious I was in my culinary planning—I had wild rice, cous cous, pesto and myriad other unopened items (I did, however, spend a good 10 minutes in a hardware store debating the pros and cons of campfire marshmallow-roasting forks.) So, no—I have not had a come-to-Jesus moment about cooking, as my mother had hoped.

As for coffee, I simply don’t like it, and that’s about all I can say on the subject. Well-meaning people have tried to serve me mocha, coffee ice cream, “The Best Costa Rican,” and on and on. I don’t like it, and probably never will, so can we just leave it at that?

Lastly, lakes. I have family and friends who live on lakes, adore lakes, and would be lost without them. So, forgive me in advance, but I don’t get it. Sure, they’re pretty, some are even gorgeous, but they don’t do anything. They just sit there (making Lake Placid the most aptly-named lake in my esteem). I’ve been to my fair share of lakes, from the Great Lakes in the Midwest to Lake Geneva, and they are still just bodies of water that are inert. Oceans pound, rivers run, waterfalls cascade and brooks babble. They are constantly on the move and offering up something new, which appeals to me in some way.

I’m not sure if I have a point in all of this, but I guess it’s to say that I like restaurants, Red Bull and oceans. Those are my things. But, I won’t try and dissuade anyone of theirs.