Packing for 28 Days

I usually over-pack, over-prepare, wrongly prepare. Even going to work, school, the grocery store, or a family gathering, I find myself reaching for a tote bag instead of a purse - filling it with a book (or two in case I finish the first. Of course, I never do, but I tend to grab that second book just the same!), a notebook/study tools, my agenda book, phone, wallet, sunglasses, headphones, water bottle, Kleenex's, candy, etc.  Often, my phone & wallet are the only two things I use while out, but I just like knowing I have the other things - in case I decide to use them.

I am curious what would be said of my purse if it were analyzed in the 1920's French game of examining a woman's sac a main (purse) to guess her values and personality. (doesn't that sound like a fun (and maybe embarrassing) party game - guessing which purse belong to which woman based on its contents?!)

Recently, both my mom & sister's wallets were stolen when their cars were broken into. It really made me rethink my purse and realize I don't want to be so attached or so dependent on it - things can be stolen or lost or broken so quickly and really do not matter all that much.

I have a small handbag that I recently decided to limit myself to. I downsized my wallet. My handbag is limited to my phone & my wallet - if I want to take my sunglasses, I wear them. If I want to bring a book or water bottle, I carry it. It is such a small thing - but it has been so challenging for me! And it has helped to have less to carry - and less to forget. :)


Packing for travel is no different - I nearly always over pack & end the trip with unworn items still in my suitcase and unread books still in my tote bag. With our upcoming trip, Ike & I have found it refreshing & fun to challenge one another to pack minimally.

"Ultimately, the magic of travel—why we do it in the first place—is not born of carrying, but of leaving behind. It’s not about recreating the world we live in at home, thing by thing, but in discovering a new world altogether, often because we’ve taken some comforting things out of the suitcase...." (from the blog Reading My Tea Leaves)

I love this thought - choosing to step away from nearly all of my "things" for a month & learn to hold them more loosely and discover new places & perspectives I've never known before.

And to force myself to find security in Jesus by stepping away from the things and places that make me feel secure & are familiar to me.

Practical & fun packing tips from the book Le Road Trip : A Traveler's Journal of Love and France by Vivian Swift.

"Whatever your Saturday morning style is, that's what you should be wearing on the road. Your Saturday morning clothes are the garments that you put on automatically, the duds that you wear without thinking. That's the kind of comfort you need when traveling. What you wear on Saturday morning shows the world your personal style, tells the truth about what best represents your most authentic self. That's who you need to be on the road." (pg 5)

"On the road plan to wear every article of outer clothing a minimum of four times. 28 days divided by a four-day cycle equals seven changes of outfits." (pg 5)

P.S. (Other fun reads for travel packing)
http://su-sews-so-so.blogspot.com.au/2014/03/style-sudoku-how-to-build-capsule.html
http://www.un-fancy.com/travel-packing/paris-what-i-packed-what-i-wore-plus-a-few-spots-to-add-to-your-travel-bucket-list/#comment-322088