Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Break Away! Lightening Our Life Baggage

Wherefore seeing we are compassed about with so
great a cloud of witnesses,let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us,
and let us run with patience the race set before us.

                                                                Hebrews 12:1

 

            I love to travel—a goal of mine being to explore as many of the world’s seven continents as possible. When wanderlust strikes, I look at the globe my mother gave me for Christmas years ago, asking myself, where to next? Once I decide, as any road warrior knows, careful packing and preparation for the trip are critical to match the right wardrobe to the trip’s intent. However, packing is still an area in which I need work. It takes me days to get my clothes and other items together—even for short trips. Seems like the older I get, putting the essential things in my luggage is more challenging— that list having expanded due to my need for more of a variety of items to attend to the signs of aging’s gifts.

              My ‘living large’ episode of packing came when I went on a three-month jaunt to Europe back in late 1986. The purpose of this journey was ‘to find myself,’ after leaving the army and two corporate jobs. Maybe some clarity would come to my life as I traversed the “old country” minus some of the daily pressures of work for a while.

            Organizing my packing list for the trip was a nightmare— as I tortured myself by continually thinking, what if I don’t take this and can’t find it in a foreign country, or the price may be three times what I would pay for it at home.  Trying to minimize the space-taker bulky pieces was also a challenge. Since the time of my excursion bordered the seasons of late fall entering winter, this meant I needed coats and sweaters—but how many or how heavy was reasonable?    

           My luggage of choice was an old Army duffle bag—good for cramming in numerous articles of clothing in its flexible fabric’s design. Then I decided another suitcase was needed for my overflow. Now the question, how would I carry these big pieces? I forgot that I would be lugging these bags through European airports, train stations, hotels and the houses of gracious friends and relatives. This was before the onslaught of rolling luggage options so you really got a workout grabbing and heaving your bags. Weight restrictions for checked bags and height-design limitations for carry-on pieces weren’t in place then either so it really was a ‘bring it all’ mindset.   Fortunately, my youngest brother was stationed in Italy and my sister along with others I knew were stationed throughout Germany. They all allowed me to leave luggage at their houses to lighten my cargo. Or as I shopped and added to my belongings, there were other things I decided to leave behind. Carrying too much baggage would’ve been cumbersome and diminished the joy of my trip. 

            And so it is on our journeys in life.

I’ve picked up trunks of good and bad experiences at various stops on my odyssey. Satchels of safety and love have kept my spirit in check at times but sent me spiraling into the emotional danger zone too.  Cases of career skills have provided opportunities for me to use passion and practicality in my work yet leave me on a low financial plain occasionally. I’ve carried on pieces of other folks’ issues when I should’ve left them behind.  In moving forward I think about the song “Ease on Down the Road” from the production of The Wiz which advises, “Don’t you carry nothing that might be a load.”

            How do we ‘shed the stuff’ that holds us back; that robs us of a lighter sense of peace? 

            Do we just keep piling it on, thinking every day is winter and we need the heavy things?

            Is there a (safe) place to leave it? What’s the cost if we don’t let go and trust?

            First we release to make space. Unpacking and leaving those experiences behind that only drag us down can unencumber our journey. Then we repack for better days. As the slogan for the New Year goes: ‘Out with the old and in with the new.’ This situates us for the next blessings in store. God and a host of angels are watching and cheering us on to get those blessings. We don’t have to lift our baggage alone. Faith gives us a place to unload. It’s located everywhere.


            Clear the load and travel lightly on in the races ahead. Identifying porters to help us can give us an extra boost when we need one. Run on!
 
Excerpted from my motivational autobiography, Navigating Life’s Roadways: Stories of Insight from My Odyssey and Inspiration for Your Journey in print and Kindle eBook http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008FQDPYE