I am a much more efficient packer for flying than for driving. When I'm flying I like to get everything into one carry-on. Checking a bag feels like failure to me. And waiting by a baggage carousel gives me anxiety. Will my bag be there? What if I have the exact same bag as someone else and they walk off with it? What if I reach to grab my bag and my sweater gets caught on the conveyor belt and I get dragged into that mysterious underworld behind the rubber curtain? So it's one bag for me which makes it easy to answer the question, "Do I need this?" because if it doesn't fit then I don't.
But with driving I have the luxury of space. And suddenly packing becomes a nightmare, because everything is a possibility. Do I need this extra pair of shoes? Maybe. How about I bring 3 books instead of just one because what if I finish, or what if I get bored? Three books it is. Four pair of jim-jams seems reasonable, right? Plus I need a bag for snacks and a bag for stuff to do on the road. And cold weather only adds to the pile because now we're talking outwear and how many hoodies is enough?
This is where I'm at right now. I'm packing for our road trip to Utah (Knecht Fest '012!!!! The whole fam together again! And a new niece (fingers crossed tomorrow) to boot! Oh, it's going to be tremendous.) and I'm up to my armpits in clothing options. And hair care equipment. Do I really need my straightener and my curling iron? Can't I just stick with one look for 5 days?
Although I have the answer to the book question. I'm just bringing Gone With the Wind. Sweet Land of Cotton, that is the longest book. And for about 200 pages all you hear is, "The Yankees are comin'! The Yankees are comin'!" You almost feel good about it when they finally get there and burn everything down.
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! I'm thankful for you.
2 comments:
I'm thankful for you, too. I just wish I'd been in Utah at the same time. I just took 5 pairs of shoes to Colorado for a 4-day stay. Will it snow? Maybe. Will it be 70 degrees? Possibly. Will I get covered in pie crumbs and mashed potatoes by grubby little hands? Undoubtedly. So I'll need extra jeans for each day. Also, I might be going shopping (let's be honest, I WILL be going shopping), so I need something a little nicer in case it's a fancy place. But comfy shoes. But pretty ones. What if it's cold at night? I just did that for all 3 of my kids and myself, and when we got there and I'd forgotten to count my socks and I was 3 pairs short, I just sighed and changed my shirt to match the ones I'd brought. I'm with you on all of it.
I bet the Knecht Thanksgiving was historic. In a good way, not in a Yankees burning down everything in sight way.
It is a ponderous book... and frankly my dear my secret to finishing it was a round-trip flight to Heathrow.
Also when I drove to Canada and back in April, I had 3 pillows, 4 pieces of my home theater system, my light lamp, shower rack, 3 cases of bottled water, a gallon of my shampoo, a suitcase for tops, a suitcase for bottoms, a suitcase for underwear, a whole separate suitcase for socks, 4 different coats, 2 umbrellas, a giraffe, several slices of salted pork, a box of nifflers. And then a plastic bag of apples somewhere.
Post a Comment