Traveling Light

I'll admit it. Paying for my suitcase to fly in the hold of the plane is counter-intuitive, especially when it can fly for free in the main cabin! Yet, since most people share my logic, the limited overhead space on board aircraft is rapidly filled to overflowing, leaving little room for anything extra.

So, now when I travel, I've taken it as a personal challenge to see just how lightly I can pack for a 3-5 day trip. These days, I can usually manage with a small roller board and messenger bag. Not only does this make my transition through security easier, I find that all in all, I spend less time managing my stuff once I arrive at my destination and less time repacking for the return trip. Now, I'm no efficiency expert, nor am I some road warrior who has all the space/time saving gadgetry. I've learned by trial and error (and I was spurred on by the frugality activated by all those the extra fees of the airlines!).

But, in keeping with all the other load-lightening I've been doing these past few months, I can't help but wonder...

When Jesus pointed out to some of his followers that "foxes have dens, birds have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head..." was he inviting them (and us) to consider the ways in which the stuff we are attached to has its way of attaching to us?

How do we travel lightly through this life, maintaining the delicate balance between "enough" and "too much"?

How do we distinguish between what we "need" and what we "want"?

And for me, if I'm not willing to pay for my suitcase to fly, why am I willing to pay (in all sorts of ways) to have things around that occupy more space than I have available and are constantly requiring some degree of my attention?

I'm not ready for the life of the ascetic, but I wonder...

How is it in a culture of greater-than-plenty we are always in search for just a little bit more?

Sent from my iPad