What’s In Your Suitcase?

I like to travel.

In fact, very often if a friend hasn’t seen me for awhile, the first question is usually “Barb, where have you been lately?” While others love to go shopping for things, if I have any extra money, it will go towards transportation somewhere, more than anything else. I really do like to travel!

However, I really don’t like to pack.

In packing, I always find myself deliberating over what to include to make sure I have what I will need. I have to consider what I will be wearing and what accessories I will want to have. Will everything fit in the suitcase I have selected ? And don’t get me started on the packing of shoes…and fitting those in!

Let’s face it though, packing is a prerequisite to embarking on any form of travel. It is recommended to have a suitcase packed with necessary items for the trip, vacation or journey.

I worry, will the suitcase be filled with items that aren’t suitable, items I don’t use or items that just take up space? Will the items be what I really need, want and desire? Will what I packed compliment the travel experience in ways to allow me to have a wonderful time?

So, where am I going with this? Well, as I previously stated, I love to travel…and I do so regularly.

Typically…

However, since the beginning of this year, I have been home engaging with the winter weather that has come my way. It has been unusual for me as I have really been just home. No brief road trip across the state to visit a friend, nor vacation to a place reflecting warmth and sun. (In fact, one was planned, but unusual events lead to its cancellation). There has been none of that kind of travel for me this year so far.

Yet, life is journey.

( ahhhhh…really Barb…big revelation here! )

As my trips and vacations have been circumvented, I have come to wonder, each morning: “If life is a journey, what do I pack into my suitcase on any given day?”

Thoughts.

While lying in bed before even getting up, I begin to pack in thoughts about what I will wear, what I will eat, whether or not I will exercise and what I call the “should” list of things to do that day. Then throughout my day’s journey, thousands of other thoughts travel through my brain…all those thoughts packed into that day’s mental suitcase.

Before I know it, this suitcase is over-packed and weighs me down a ton!

So, while I have not taken a physical trip or vacation recently, I have truly been on an inner journey, becoming aware of what I pack into my mind on a daily basis. Like Alice, I fall down the rabbit hole with thoughts that make me anxious, fearful or frustrated. It can happen often, including just the other day, I was grumbling about the weather here, all the snow, ice and cold. Then I decided to “unpacked” those thoughts, put on my coat, boots and gloves. I went outside enjoyed the pristine snow, the smell of “white” and the quiet peace. My thoughts turned to the beauty of my surroundings rather than dwelling on my thoughts of frustration about the weather. I started to travel in a different direction that day which ultimately reflected a better sense of satisfaction.

There’s been the realization, do I pack in thoughts that indicate what I need/desire or are they taking up space for the journey that day not leading me anywhere productive or positive? Just like a trip or vacation, I have become aware that I might need to unpack, sort and determine what items (thoughts) I have selected to pack. Thinking about whether or not those “rabbit hole” thoughts compliment my experience.

Am I doing this thought re-packing constantly, heck no ! But I am finding when my thoughts are traveling down the rabbit hole, aren’t what I need or desire to compliment my day, I will try to unpack, sort and discard what I really don’t need. Does it work every time? No, but I am feeling as I gain more awareness, I gain more confidence in what I select to think about and put into my mental suitcase. I am becoming more comfortable with the idea my thoughts do influence my daily travel. Ultimately, with the potential I can create wonderful flourishing experiences in my life’s journey.

Who knows, maybe I am beginning to enjoy the possibilities of what I can pack in my suitcase.