My friend Amber Portier is designing a custom bag for me. She wants to make sure that the bag suits my needs; so she asks me what do I carry in my bag. I begin listing items and as I go down the list I become embarrassed. I know you think I’m going to talk about the age old analogy of carrying around past hurts and so forth. I’m not. While this is a true analogy, it’s not my present flash of insight. What became very apparent to me in that moment was that I’m carrying around a bunch of stuff that I do not need and also why my bag is so heavy at times.
When I say that I’m carrying around a bunch of stuff I do not need, literally I don’t use most of the items on a daily basis. Most of the things that I carry are “what if items”. My umbrella if it rains, random food items in the event of needing a snack, feminine hygiene products, pain killers, sometimes a change of clothes or shoes and the list went on and on and on . This exercise reaffirmed for me that I am a planner, which is good. But it also made me realize that I’m constantly planning on something going wrong. What a mindset to have! Am I always prepared for the worst? I also realized that I have “old items” in my bag, things that I absolutely have no use for and they are simply taking up space and adding to the strain on my arms. (Do with that one, what you may). I guess my flash of insight isn’t so far away from that old analogy after all. In life and in your physical bag you may be carrying around a lot. But to what end. And what purpose does it serve you, if any at all?
The last thing Amber asked me was what things do I need to carry on a daily basis. I quickly realized that I barely had space if any at all for these items. So what’s in your bag? What things are you carrying around that you have no need of? What things are you carrying around that will prepare you for the worst? What things are you carrying around that no longer serve your purpose? What mindset do you have in your bag? Is it one of hope or is it one a failure? And do we need to make room for the necessaries? Are we really walking around without the things we need because we’re holding on to “what if items ”?