A Lighter Load
or at least a lighter notebook
“I used to be good at packing!”
My friend and I were lamenting our former selves—the ones who could sort a cross-country trip for ourselves and our kids (and our spouses!) without missing a beat. The ones who could tackle Europe with a carry-on bag. The ones who definitely, definitely didn’t forget to bring underwear.
Maybe perimenopause brain was to blame. Or maybe we’d just reached a point in our lives where, with our kids out of the house and enough money in the bank to cover emergency underwear, we could afford to relax our vigilance a little. Either way, we couldn’t help feeling like we’d lost something.
I seriously can’t remember the last time I packed a suitcase that didn’t require sitting on to close.
I hate that.
I want space to breathe, to expand, to let in light. In my suitcase, in my home, and in my life, I want to carry less so I can be open to more.
Do you relate?
The amount of stuff in my house comes with a lot of weight. Two years after his death, I still have Kevin’s clothes in the closet, his books on the shelves, his LEGOs in the closet (and under the bed and in the garage and stacked in the guest room.) My own wardrobe has ballooned because, for a while, it felt like maybe new clothes would lead me to a new life.
It didn’t work. And I’m feeling the heaviness. Right now, travel feels like a chance to set down my load, or at the very least, to stop looking at it for a while. Assuming I don’t cram my suitcase full of everything I wanted to leave behind. So I’m practicing packing light again. It’s a start. A baby step towards opening up the space I crave.
And if I’m not quite managing it in my suitcase, at least I can do it in my notebook.
This week’s video is about lightening up my TN for a recent trip. I drove my own car from Los Angeles to Sedona, Arizona, so there was no real need to pack light, but it felt great to slim my notebook down to one easy-to-carry volume. And honestly, I think I could go even lighter next time! I’ll walk you through the process I went through, deciding what to bring and what to leave behind, and I’ll show you the results of committing to the inserts I brought. Be sure to stick around for the accordion reveal at the end!
The part that I left out of this video was prepping my teeny-tiny watercolor palettes for the red rocks of Sedona. I’ve edited that footage together for paid subscribers, so if that describes you, stay tuned after the break for your bonus content.
Until next time, I’m wishing you love and joy and all those good things,
Jenn
