For weeks, friends have been asking us if we are packing. The answer, "yes, we started weeks ago".
We are as ready as we are going to be, evidenced by the two large, opened suitcases that take up a whole lot of valuable space in our bedroom and den at the moment. It's a routine that I know well. Fill up with what you think you need, items that you believe you can't live without, and then remove most of them lest the suitcase will exceed the fifty pound limit. In, out, in, out. The drill.
Preparing for a long trip always reminds me of a writing exercise. The art of packing a suitcase for a five week jaunt across the ocean is so much like the art of preparing for life itself. I used to use the metaphor when my son was a newly graduated young man, floundering around, trying to get his life started on his own. My motherly defense guard would spring into action during those moments of weakness when we questioned whether he would ever get going in the "right" direction. My self-medicating answer always was "it's hard to pack for a trip if you don't know where you're going".....
Good shoes, suitable for walking over unknown terrains, as well as known. Ups and downs, twists and turns. Hiking poles are the first items to go into the suitcase. They lie on the bottom. We don't carry them. The can't be mistaken for weaponry. We wear our hiking shoes, the heavy ones. We've already lived in those shoes and know they are capable and strong so they never stay home.
Comfortable clothing makes the cut over "fancy dress". We've learned that with good "basics", appearances can be manipulated. Scarves weigh practically nothing and totally change the look. Black, black and more black. If you're good on the inside, it doesn't take much to tweak the outside.
I used to drag cosmetics along but over the years and after many trips, I have come to realize that most items weigh too much and most of them are totally un-necessary. Italian supermarkets are up to speed on their selection of "health and beauty" products and what we need, we can easily purchase.
That is, if we "need" anything. Here again, it's what's inside that counts. If one wants to feel "well", a large bottle of shampoo isn't the answer. My beauty was packed a long time before those hiking poles and will last me the duration of this trip.
So, our bags are packed. We just have to zip them up. After we throw in a few "cold remedies" and muscle creams.
Life is filled with unknowns. It's too hard to pack a bag if you don't really know where you're headed but it's also hard to pack when you do know where you're headed. There comes a day when you just have to trust that you really do have all that you need, that you are capable of making do with less and trusting that each day will work out just fine with what you brought.
Wheels Up in two more days. Joe has a cold. This should be very interesting..........
We are as ready as we are going to be, evidenced by the two large, opened suitcases that take up a whole lot of valuable space in our bedroom and den at the moment. It's a routine that I know well. Fill up with what you think you need, items that you believe you can't live without, and then remove most of them lest the suitcase will exceed the fifty pound limit. In, out, in, out. The drill.
Preparing for a long trip always reminds me of a writing exercise. The art of packing a suitcase for a five week jaunt across the ocean is so much like the art of preparing for life itself. I used to use the metaphor when my son was a newly graduated young man, floundering around, trying to get his life started on his own. My motherly defense guard would spring into action during those moments of weakness when we questioned whether he would ever get going in the "right" direction. My self-medicating answer always was "it's hard to pack for a trip if you don't know where you're going".....
Good shoes, suitable for walking over unknown terrains, as well as known. Ups and downs, twists and turns. Hiking poles are the first items to go into the suitcase. They lie on the bottom. We don't carry them. The can't be mistaken for weaponry. We wear our hiking shoes, the heavy ones. We've already lived in those shoes and know they are capable and strong so they never stay home.
Comfortable clothing makes the cut over "fancy dress". We've learned that with good "basics", appearances can be manipulated. Scarves weigh practically nothing and totally change the look. Black, black and more black. If you're good on the inside, it doesn't take much to tweak the outside.
I used to drag cosmetics along but over the years and after many trips, I have come to realize that most items weigh too much and most of them are totally un-necessary. Italian supermarkets are up to speed on their selection of "health and beauty" products and what we need, we can easily purchase.
That is, if we "need" anything. Here again, it's what's inside that counts. If one wants to feel "well", a large bottle of shampoo isn't the answer. My beauty was packed a long time before those hiking poles and will last me the duration of this trip.
So, our bags are packed. We just have to zip them up. After we throw in a few "cold remedies" and muscle creams.
Life is filled with unknowns. It's too hard to pack a bag if you don't really know where you're headed but it's also hard to pack when you do know where you're headed. There comes a day when you just have to trust that you really do have all that you need, that you are capable of making do with less and trusting that each day will work out just fine with what you brought.
Wheels Up in two more days. Joe has a cold. This should be very interesting..........
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