No, I don’t have a gun. I mean packing for a short trip. One full day to be exact. Why do I always feel like I need so much stuff? A while back, I always had the philosophy that if I forget something, I’ll just buy it. Rarely did I ever have to take myself up on that. Now I can’t buy anything if I forget it, so I’m packing a little bit more. Is this a downside to the ‘no retail shopping’ challenge? I’m not flying, so no extra bag charges. It takes a little more time to pack, but that’s okay.
Mental gymnastics.
I need to get packed, there’s no way I’m ever going to be ready in time. Why did I get rid of the boys suitcases? Oh yeah, they were too small. Too small? Really? What do they need? Now they’re going to have to share a bag. How am I going to keep their stuff separated? That’s going to be a fight. Passports! (run upstairs) Why do I save all this stuff in my fireproof box? What if I die and someone has to clean out all my stuff? (run back downstairs) Clothing. Check. Pajamas. Check. Towel, washcloth and shower shoes. Check. Camera. Check. Wait. Should I bring both of my cameras? My lenses? My tripod? The kids love to do light painting, but do the batteries work in any of the 30 flashlights? How did I get 30 flashlights?! Should I downsize those? Did I charge the 15 million candlepower cyclops? Will the kids in Mexico really miss the light painting? Why do I need all these electronics? Should I bring the book I want to finish? Where’s the charger for my camera? Crap, I’ll need my shutter release cable too. Zuri, get out of the suitcase. Wait, we have a cat now. (phone call) Will all of this fit in the car? Should I have gotten an oil change? Did I pack enough clothes? What am I forgetting?…
You get the picture. Bring it, just in case we need it. I’m done with this. How much stuff can we possibly need to survive? Seriously. I might just unpack a little bit before leaving. I think I might bring the camera stuff though. The kids really do like the light painting. This looks like chaos, but it’s awesome.
If you’re not sure what light painting is, check out my blog post “A new set of paint brushes”.