I am sitting on my couch, staring at a picture of my daughters that hangs above my mantle. I adore it, as it is perfect in its simplicity. We were at the Central Park Zoo when it was taken, and they were walking away from me. They are holding hands, content in just wandering through the park. It’s one of my favorite images of them together.
Which got me thinking. Remember the movie Up in the Air with George Clooney? He gave a speech about how all the things we collect in our lives eventually weigh us down. So if I had a backpack, what would I pack it with? Would that picture make it into the pack?
There are a number of obvious things that immediately came to mind as I started to write this paragraph. Photo albums that capture decades of history. Well worn books that have moved from house to house, that I re-read every few years. A pair of turquoise leopard skin pants I bought at age 15, with my allowance during my punk phase, in one of my first signs of independence. A picture my brother painted of my beloved city of Florence that hangs above my bed. But in reality, none of it would likely get stuffed into that backpack.
If I only had a backpack in which to take my most important treasures, I’d likely take precious little. At the core, the items above are just stuff. I think because I spend so much of my life looking forward rather than looking back, I don’t have too many things I couldn’t live without.
Ultimately, I think I would take what I carry on a daily basis, and add my passport to the mix. On any given day, I have everything I need in my bag. My MacBook Air, which is my command center for life. My iPad, which houses my books, my music, my photos, my ideas. My iPhone, which allows me the portable version of all the above, and also allows me to actually speak to those I want and need to. Notebooks, so I can go off the grid and actually write long-hand, draw, think and create - the old-fashioned way. My wallet, because it holds the key to all things financial. And all the other junk I keep in my bag. Random makeup, keys, gum, things to write with. And of course my passport, so I can continue to travel.
I feel like everything I truly need, except for some clean clothes, a journal my children write in for me for every holiday and my children themselves, I carry with me on a daily basis.
I’m not sure how I feel about this. I suppose my heavy reliance on technology has allowed me to streamline a lot of my life. That said, it kind of bums me out to realize I’m not much of a sentimental person. That which is most important to me is right in front of my face. Without my children, friends, family and the work I love, everything else is pretty meaningless.
I’m clear on one thing though…I’m likely not carrying a backpack. All those things can fit neatly into my Louis Vuitton bag. And I worked my a** off for that thing.
What’s In Your Backpack?
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