Day: February 10, 2016

Travel – Do I Really Need That?

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As much as I forget some things that are necessary for travel, there are also others that are on the list, they’re always on the list, and nine times out of ten, they are never used. And then I carry them back home, put them away until I add them to the packing list again.

It’s a vicious cycle.

Let’s start with clothes.

How much is too much? Are you going for a special event and need a nice pair of shoes or something dressy to wear? I always wear my Keds. Every day. When I went to England in college, I forgot nice shoes. I ended up wearing my hiking boots everywhere. This is an unusual circumstance. Obviously if you’re traveling for a wedding or some other event, you will need a pair of nice shoes or boots, but that weekend getaway to the beach? Or the city? Probably not. Leave them home. They only take up space.

How many pairs of jeans do you need? Can you do laundry at your destination? Can you re-wear your jeans more than once or even more than twice? Well, maybe not twice, but if you’re trip consists of strolling through the museum or mall, you probably won’t get them too dirty if at all.

Look at your outfits. Can you plan outfits that coordinate with each other? The jeans can go with two different shirts. The second shirt you can re-wear with a sweater or a blazer. You can put a button down shirt over a tee and leave it open or button it up and wear it over leggings if that’s your style. Think in layers.

On to tech.

How many chargers do you really need? Most of them are interchangeable at this point, so bringing them all only increases the chances of losing one. Is there ever a time when you’re charging all of your electronics at once? Almost never. Even overnight, I don’t always charge my phone. The one thing that I do need every time is a surge protector. I use a Belkin mini version that packs easily in my carry-on or personal bag.

Often I won’t empty my tech pouch and end up bringing a flash drive. I can only use this with my computer (or someone else’s) and I almost never bring my computer anymore.

Do I really need to bring my camera and mp3 player when I use my Kindle for both of those? On retreat, I don’t use my phone except as an alarm clock, communicating with my family through Facebook, so I should probably leave that at home as well.

I’ll often bring my sketchbook and colored pencils, but I don’t use them unless I’m at a specific workshop/retreat. More thinking about my destination, less random packing of things.

Now for those toiletries.

Are you staying in a hotel? They have shampoo bottles. Are you staying at your cousin’s or your in-laws? They probably have shampoo too. I almost always bring a brush, but because my hair is so short and I usually finger style it, I never use the brush. Same for hairspray. What about that bar of soap? Unless your skin is sensitive, you really don’t need to bring your soap from home.

Will you really wear those slippers? Or will your socks do?

Reusable water bottle? I end up forgetting it. Sometimes, it’s better to buy a recyclable/disposable one on your way.

Pocketbook. How big do you think you need it to be? Can it be smaller? Can you travel with a personal bag that will be good for the trip itself and then pack a smaller bag for daily use at your destination? Can you put the smaller bag inside your carry bag for doubling its usefulness.

What do you pack that you never use?

Day 1 of Lent – What to Give Up

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Ash Wednesday is here. It feels much earlier than usual, although I guess it feels that way every year. I’ve been contemplating what to give up this year, and it’s a real struggle. I feel sometimes that my choices are too easy, but while it shouldn’t be impossible, it should be a little difficult. I should be able to notice that something is missing and then give pause on why I chose to eliminate that from my life for the next forty days.

I thought bacon. But I don’t really eat that much bacon. Mostly on cheeseburgers when we go out to eat. We almost never buy bacon on its own for our house, although I have had cravings for BLTs in the past. Maybe we should give up eating out for Lent.

I thought Netflix. Well, at least the rerun parts of Netflix. The repeated binge watching of television series over and over and over again. The TV is constantly on in our house (less now but it’s still an issue; my habit). Netflix has taken the place of constant cable news that I gave up after the last election (2012). The problem with giving this up is that Supernatural reruns are my go-to white noise. I can do almost anything else while Supernatural is on, especially the early seasons. It’s a comfort thing. Supernatural was there when my depression returned and I needed another med adjustment. Supernatural kept me from being listless and lethargic.

There’s always the internet, Facebook and/or Kindle. I know several people who give up either the internet or Facebook for Lent. This doesn’t make sense for me since that is my family and primary school communication, I do most of my writing online in the clouds and on my kindle, so it’s much more than a crutch. For some of my family, this is the only place they get to see pictures of my kids, and I theirs. Used well, Facebook is a G-dsend.

Ice Cream? Uh, I don’t know.

Chocolate? Been there, done that.

Diet Coke? Ditto.

McDonald’s Breakfast Burritos? But I love them! I would eat them every day if I could.

Starbucks? That goes so close with my writing that I’m not sure that I could do without it for forty days. Maybe…

These are all things on my maybe list. I’ve given up some of them before. Some were harder than others; much harder.

On Monday morning, I began to read The Little Black Book. I’ve enjoyed these “Little” books seasonally, both in paper format and e-book. On Monday, it talked about fasting and abstinence (which is much different from the Yom Kippur fasting that I was used to.) One of the things mentioned was that “the church no longer attempts to prescribe Lenten practices in detail” and “choosing practices that are adapted to one’s own circumstances.” This implied to me that I was not expected to give something up if it didn’t fit with my other “penitential season” practices.

I’m not sure my priest would agree, and after the initial burst of wishful thinking, I went back to the list in my mind. It also felt a little like when I was a kid and didn’t want to stop writing on the High Holy Days because they weren’t really work. For me it wasn’t something to meditate on the meaning of; it was a cop-out. Again, that’s for my personal feelings and perspective. We all need to come to our own place this Lenten season.

Choosing an item isn’t just about the item itself; it’s about the introspection, the prayerful thoughts that go into the choosing, what makes this item important enough to make the giving up a sacrifice?

Not only that, but how is the giving up part of the larger idea of what Lent is all about – the penance and the getting ourselves ready for Christ’s sacrifice for us? Certainly, whatever we give up doesn’t compare to His sacrifice for us. It is but a small imitation, but it’s all we can offer.

So how do we continue to give.our Lenten experiences meaning year after year?

I could give up brussel sprouts. I don’t hate them, but we almost never eat them. Does that count?

The truth is, the only one who can tell me if it counts is me. Trying to get out of it doesn’t hurt anyone or change the meaning for anyone but me. Who am I observing Lent for in the first place?

The responsibility is on me because the benefit, whatever that might be spiritually is also on me.

I’ve decided to give up the breakfast burritos and ice cream. Tuesday morning was my last burrito until after Easter and Tuesday night was my last bowl of ice cream (black cherry chocolate chunk). Something from the morning and something from the night to remind me each day right after I wake up and right before I go to bed that these forty days are different.

How else will I make them different? And how will they change me for the rest of the year?

Time will tell.
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