Well, there is no mistaking it; I've got a lot of baggage.
Literally... As I look around the apartment at the three empty suitcases that I'll inevitably fill, I am suddenly overwhelmed.
Getting ready to go on a trip for an undetermined length of time is a somewhat daunting process. Do I pack work clothes? Bedding? Winter boots, jackets and scarves? Do I pack light and have some things shipped if I stay longer??
Oy...
Meanwhile, my poor little dogs are hovering around the luggage and pacing the apartment. As soon as I pull out the suitcases, they look at them wide eyed and nervous:
not this again.
I won't be able to take my dogs with me yet. It would make the settling in process about a hundred times more difficult. And if I can spare them the added anxiety of roommates, city traffic, and late nights, then there is no question that I ought to leave them behind...
for now.
It's crazy.
I look around and see a patchwork quilt of my life, post graduation. I feel lucky to have experienced so much over the past eleven years since high school.
What a wild ride. From the West Coast to the great Southwest, then down to the Mid South and up to the Midwest; my life looks more like a stack of postcards rather than the images I see in most of my peers' family albums. But that's just me. That is the nature of change and adapting to whatever circumstance I seem to be in the midst of. It's an amazing thing, to have had the good fortune of living life in so many wondrous places.
But the baggage I accumulated over the years is bulky, heavy and perhaps
excessive. There are some things I am holding on to that may not serve me on the road ahead. Like my wedding china for instance;
someone please tell me what I am supposed to do with that?? The delicate place settings, serving bowls and coffee cups have lasted much longer than my marriage ever did. And I carry the box around from state to state with precision and care...
And I am over it.
Sometimes I imagine taking a trip to Greece, where upon arrival, I unwrap the delicate wedding china and hurl it at the pristine white floor and let it smash at my feet while shouting
OPA!!! In this fantasy, I am dancing around the shattered pieces, wearing a crown of olive leaves and a sleek white dress similar to Aphrodite's.
Hummus anyone?
And what about the other items I have hauled around from place to place: pictures, dresses and books of poetry? Shall I stand at the mouth of the East River and toss it in as some sacrificial offering to Manhattan...
to my future??
Or shall I continue to leave it happily collecting dust in my storage, as I have done for the past few years? The boxes are stacked high; one on top of the other...
Talk about excess baggage.
I know that the day will surely come when
I will know what to do. I can sense that I am inching my way closer to the answer with each passing season.
I don't want this much baggage.
I don't
need it either.
But the answer hasn't come to me yet. But I have a hunch that it is waiting for me in this next place I explore: probably under a shady tree, speckled with October's rose and amber hues in the midst of Central Park. Perhaps then I will know what to do and how to shed these bulky items that are no longer serving me. Alas, I continue to pack.
*Note to self: have fun, work hard, be safe and travel light!
Today:
Cape Cod
1 oz Vodka
2 oz Cranberry Juice
Garnish with a lime wedge
On the Rocks!
