Packing

Arrange whatever pieces come your way. --Virginia Woolf

My Dad and I both have this knack for packing. What my father-in-law calls packing ten pounds of potatoes into a five pound bag. We are both the official packers in the family because we've been know to squeeze in and extra two pounds after everyone else says, "No way!" When there are three kids, two adults, pets, toys, diapers, strollers, cameras, and school books, one has to learn to pack it well; arrange the pieces.

I've noticed that, as in packing, there's always some extra pieces that have to be arranged to fit. Like that extra pair of shoes someone forgot to put in the suitcase, there's always one more thing that has to go in, that needs to stay together, that must be arranged before the trunk can be closed...and to continue on the trip, the trunk has to be closed.

As in packing, I work hard to find a place for all the pieces that come my way. Some of those pieces are not what I envisioned for myself when I was younger. Marriage isn't all romance...but something deeper and more satisfying. My career isn't about promotion and nice shoes (though I do love nice shoes!). Motherhood has turned into so much more than giving birth...and I am so thankful for those unexpected pieces. I have been lucky enough to have a loving partner, a nice home, a beautiful family, and the luxury to follow my own path in life...to choose many of the pieces I've arranged.

But, as in packing, no matter how talented the packer, there comes a time that some pieces just can't be slipped into the small space between the portable crib and dog kennel. It's nice, and necessary to accept as many mismatched pieces as possible, but sometimes those extra shoes mean leaving the diaper bag behind. At some point, though they'd probably fit, some pieces are better off left on the curb.

So, while I am exceptionally good at accepting whatever comes my way in life. I am exceptionally untalented in my ability to let things come into my life briefly and then slip away. This includes stuff, this includes responsibility, this includes worries. So (word of the year) ENOUGH! I am going to try to arrange the human pieces first...friends, family, kids, husband...find a place in that five pound bag for them. In doing so, I am going to try to stick to seven or eight pounds instead of twelve. That means the stuff...the unnecessary responsibilty...the worry...the things that make me wonder if the trunk will close...on the curb!

Wish me luck! And why not look in your own five pound bag...I bet there's something in there that can be left behind!

JG