I always tend to pack too much when I go on a trip. Now that
I am preparing to go to Yankton, South Dakota, for the Novice and Director
Institute (NADI), my typical thought patterns are surfacing: “I’d better bring
clothes for both warm and cool weather. What if it rains? I guess I should
throw a jacket in the car. Will they have tissues in my bedroom? I wonder if I’ll
have time to work on my Rule class assignment—I’ll go ahead and bring that
along. How many books will I have time to read in 10 days?”
Packing for a trip can be thought of as a metaphor for life:
If I’m anxious that my needs won’t be provided for, I’ll carry a lot of baggage
with me. If I go with a trusting heart and the desire to walk lightly on the
earth, I will encounter what I need along the way.
Simplifying is a process. I recently made the transition
from wearing contact lenses to glasses, which means less eye care paraphernalia
to pack, so that’s a move in the right direction. If I can stash one less
sweater and book in my suitcase for this trip, that will be progress. Perhaps
by the time I go to the Benedictine Spirituality Workshop and Retreat when I am
a scholastic, I’ll get my packing down to the bare necessities (plus only one
backpack!).
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