“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. … Each day has enough trouble of its own.” – Matthew 6:34
Packing is the most stressful and unpleasant job, and it makes going on a trip so miserable for me. If I could just go and buy clothes and what I need for the trip everywhere we were traveling, that would make the perfect trip. Jeff starts packing usually three to four days before we leave, and I spend those same days complaining about what I should take and how I don’t want to get it out and I am the most terrible packer EVER! More often than not, the night before we leave, I have to bribe Mandi into coming and packing for me.
My mother on the other hand is a very sensible packer, she plans each night and what she is going to wear, and what shoes and tops go with each pair of pants or dresses that she takes. I, on the other hand, want options. I may not like what I packed or may put a different top with the pants, or I may wish that I would have packed something else. In the end, I pack way too much and never wear half of the things I take. I believe I would rather do almost anything than pack to go on vacation.
Once I finally get my suitcase packed, there is a 100% chance that I have forgotten something, or multiple things, a charger, jewelry, makeup, etc. I really make myself a wreck before I even walk out of the door. I am always running late, and it is inevitable that Jeff and I will squabble on the ride to the airport or just trying to leave the house. Sometimes I ask myself why I even try to go on vacation because it is so hard to get all the things ready.
Once we finally get on the plane and we are on our way, I can breathe a sigh of relief and I look back at the last two hours and wonder why I cause myself so much grief. I always say it will be better next time, but it never happens. I worry so much about if I have packed the right things, if I have everything, I make traveling a nightmare for both Jeff (because he has to listen to me) and myself because I am so stressed out.
Stress manifests itself in our lives in so many ways, whether it is going on vacation, or just a hard day at work. We all need to travel lighter and find other ways to manage our lives so we can minimize the stress. I am going to rethink my vacation readiness and make sure that I am finding ways to relieve the weight of traveling.
– Gabrielle Moon, Executive Dir. of St. Luke’s Children’s Centers
