This is The Shorts, and you're listening to The Dirt Bag Diaries.

First off, I'm not a dirt bag.

I live in a modest house in a modest subdivision in Idaho Falls.

I drive a suburban.

I work as a chemist, but I'm also a trail runner, an enthusiastic, meaning not all

that good, climber, an okay skier, an occasional mountain biker, a backpacker.

Most importantly to me, I'm the husband of a wonderful, patient woman and father of five.

Balancing my family's needs with my desire to be outdoors has never been easy.

I feel conflicted nearly every time I go out for more than half a day.

What am I missing at home?

How am I going to make this up to my wife, Jenny?

Balance is a tricky thing.

My way of meeting this challenge is to involve my family and the outdoors as much as possible,

to create shared experiences rather than expect them to support my personal projects.

I don't want them to ever think they mean less to me than some chunk of rock.

My own wishes and desires have come second.

I believe that once I made peace with that concept, I found joy in our family's shared

experiences, no matter how unrad they might previously have seemed.

My wife is constantly amazed at the patience I show our kids while they're climbing,

and the contrasting lack of patience with, say, cleaning their rooms.

I figure that I might as well spend the one on one time that kids so desperately need

on backpacking, climbing, or skiing trips.

...