Carry On

For the first time in a very long time, I am not holding any extra baggage inside my head or heart. One of my weaknesses has always been holding on for too long. It's like I'm standing at the airline counter and they say, "Will you be checking any baggage today?" Nope! I only have a carry-on these days! I suppose that's what growing up is all about. You learn to move on and actually leave things behind you instead of dragging them behind you like a bulky suitcase that won't fit in the overhead compartment.

Why do we pack away feelings and thoughts of people and events from our past? Do we hold onto them because we are afraid of that "Oh, I forgot something" feeling? The trips we take throughout life require us to pack for the occasioin. Maybe we pack items from our past because they are familiar to us. It's kind of like how some people have to take their own pillow with them when they travel. It's a comfort thing. It's what they're used to. So, if a person finds herself repeating the same mistakes over and over, it becomes a comfort zone. Perhaps an uncomfortable one but still a zone she knows best. It is less scary to just pull the baggage you know behind you than re-pack the suitcase.

Any emotional baggage I had been holding onto I didn't pack into my car for Maryland. I let it go somewhere between Carolina and the Eastern Shore. Does that mean I dumped my entire past and the people in it? No. It means I learned how to pack with care. Some things are meant to be carried on, but those can usually fit inside the compartments of your heart without weighing you down. There's no chance of lost luggage when you carry on either. All the things you need are right there with you, never leaving your side. Life seems to carry on, so why shouldn't we?

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