Unpack Your Bags Many of us would rather dig through someone’s phone, social media, or somebody else’s bags instead of digging inside ourselves.
By Shay Cole Before every trip, we plan our outfits, shoes, accessories, make-up, and even activities. We know what we want to do and where we want to go. We research how much it costs and plan to add it to our budget, whether we can afford it. When it’s time to travel, we feel like we are prepared with everything we need. A lot of times, we take more than we ever need simply because it is so easy to overpack for a trip, especially when there are planned themes and activities to pack for.
Traveling through life is no different. We make plans for our futures when we are just barely getting over being afraid of the dark. Adults constantly ask children, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” They expect a realistic answer from a child when they are still confused about the same decision. We pack our lives full of people, places, and things in an effort to prepare for what may come. Each of us travels through life, reaching various milestones, learning valuable lessons, gaining noteworthy experiences, and constantly moving toward an intentional goal. We gather tips and tricks that allow us to pack more into our bags as we travel along the way. We learn to roll our clothes instead of folding them to have room for more
clothes to fit. We combine accessories with shoes to save space for our make-up. We adapt and accommodate so that we don’t have to leave anything behind. However, throughout our travels, we not only gain, but we also lose. We gain people, and we lose people; we gain things, and we lose things; sometimes, we gain more of ourselves, but most times, we lose ourselves. During the process, we often try to hold on to things that we need to let go of, and we take things for granted when we are blessed with them. We avoid the truth of our situations because the lie feels better. Nevertheless, we keep going.
