So we’re going on this trip.  A journey.  We haven’t much information on what climate or activities we will be encountering.

We are only instructed to…prepare.

Life, is this journey. We arrived with what we needed at birth… sorta.  Some believe we sign a “spiritual contract” and agreement with our families before we are born. We chose them and they chose us.  So we journey with them. We initially have no choice in what we pack. We are told what to wear, think, eat etc.  As we grow up we are taught how to find friends, experience love, our bodies, listen, learn etc.  These instructions or “items,” stays with us in our bags. We drop some things and pick up new stuff.  As we get older, we try on new things that may be extremely different from what we learned in our youth.

Sometimes along the way, our bags get heavy. We drag and slow down. We throw items out without thinking or we pick up items either because someone gave it to us or we thought we needed it. Either way, our packing is an ongoing habit.

yeah there’s that word…Habit.

So packing and unpacking on your life journey, what have been your habits? What items are you drawn to and what do you tend to pass over?  Are you overloaded and unwilling to let some items go? Perhaps you don’t even know how.

PSA… YOU DON’T NEED ANYONE’S PERMISSION TO REPACK YOUR BAGS 

in case you needed to hear that. Well correction. Some of us need to give ourselves permission to let some things go. Or even, to try something totally new.

What we don’t get is to completely empty our bags, except to assess what the hell we are carrying.  Do you even know really what you are carrying?  just dragging that shit along because…

1. Someone told you it was what strong people do
2. Because (Insert name here)  did it and she/he is okay (so you think)
3. People will think you are (Insert label here) *either because of all that you carry or because you choose to let it go.
4. Too damn scared to see all that you are carrying (or what you aren’t carrying..hmm)

It’s not feasible to think that we get to totally empty our bags, only because you came here with a purpose and some habits and characteristics are the essence of who you are.  You can change your geographic location, language, education, career, relationships even your gender but there will be some things that are just part of the person that you are.

Those always stay in your bag.  How you perceive them may shift. These items may shift from being the largest in your bag to being a mere accessory in a smaller compartment. Life does that. Changes your perspective.

So let’s Pause…Be present with our bag(s) and assess what we are carrying, or not.  At the present stage and perspective you are in your journey, do you need all the items in your bag? Does something need to be downsized, discarded, acquired or perhaps increased?

Don’t be afraid to make time unpack and repack your bags. KNOW that life will provide you with whatever you really need along the way. *in case you discarded something that you may find yourself needing later (or perhaps you don’t need the actual item but the memory of it…hmmm)  Or should you be someone who is traveling with someone (long term relationships/partnerships/ marriage), communicate when you need to pause and they can either wait or keep moving knowing that you will catch up when you are ready.

Trust your process. It’s Alllllll Yours!