Tuesday, April 21, 2009

The Final Countdown...


Only 4 days left until Spring Training!!!

How does time fly by so fast?

Do I have everything for the next 9 weeks before taking off?

6 yoga outfits. Check.
Non-green yoga mat. Check (thanks to Heidi!).
Vitamins. Check.
Dried foods to graze on. Check.
Lecture chair. Check.
Journal. Check (thanks to Linda!).
Non-yoga books. Check.
Yoga books. Check.
Beach towel. Check.
Brita. Check.
Snack bag. Check.
Lotsa water bottles. Check.
Pot/steamer/boiler. Check.
French press. Check.
Blender. Check.
Plates/utensils. Check.
Summer clothes. Check.
Blankie. Check.
Woolite. Check.
Sunscreen. Check.
Digital recorder. Check.
Washer/Dryer. I wish.

Next step. How do I pack an entire dorm room into a bag?

I have a 'let's shoot for the stars' goal of bringing one gigantic, dinosaur bag. One that's big enough to fit me in (and I eat a lot). I've never been an efficient packer because you never know when you need this and that. So naturally, I googled "How to Pack."

Skipping the "Get a Six Pack" Homepage (who needs that anyways), I learned that packing requires "strategic" skills and is an "art and science." Sounds pretty serious. As I read about this new science, there are some positive light packing points such as flexibility (less stuff = greater mobility), reduced costs (airline), security (less likely to lose your stuff) and serenity (less stuff = less worry). Above all, my favorite point is...

"Ecology: All of the above are concerned with short-term benefits to you. But travelling light also yields long-term benefits to the planet. Less stuff to manufacture. Less use of vehicles and other machinery to move things (including you) around. Less fuel needed for the vehicles that do move you. Less greenhouse gas production. Less damage to our celestial home. Greater likelihood of upcoming generations being around to do some travelling of their own." www.onebag.com

I never thought that my packing of today could positively or negatively impact my future kids' ability to travel. I have been so selfish all along, only thinking about MY own packing concerns, not my kids and kids' kids and kids' kids' kids.

Now I feel so much more ...enlightened. PACK ON!