A Thought

About 6 years ago I decided I was going to turn 40 somewhere in the world besides Tahoe. Ultimately, my goal was to celebrate this milestone birthday while on a yearlong trip around the world. Being my usual stubborn and awesome self, I immediately informed my husband that this trip would be accomplished with or without him. He has severe FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) hence, the seed to join me on this adventure was planted. And watered. Yes, Coors Light and Jameson do in fact count as water. We discussed taking two, two-week long trips a year, forever, as a substitution for this year long adventure. I thought this would satisfy my dream, my desire. It did not. It has not. It will not. I am a dreamer. I bore easily. So in my 38 years of life I have filled many "boring" moments with dreaming, fantasizing, planning, visualizing and smiling. Yes, I do in fact know exactly how I would spend a $100 million lottery win. First and foremost, I would travel. Travel has been the answer to many questions I have been asked throughout my life: "Why don't you have kids?", "What would you regret on your deathbed?", "What in the hell were you thinking getting a BA in religious studies?", "Wait, aren't you a lesbian?" Yes, I have been asked this last question numerous times, most often while traveling solo, and with an awful haircut. I am not a lesbian; I have a slightly better haircut and a husband. Most importantly I have a one-way ticket in my hand that says non-stop flight from Oakland, CA to London on May 30th at 6:40pm. The adventure begins!

The Purge

Lightening our load has taken some time, thought and questioning. This has been a process lasting about two months. First I began by going through my clothes and shoes, separating them into two piles: one for friends and the other for donation to a women's shelter. This was a process. At first I found myself wanting to hold on to things for sentimental value, or just in case scenarios. But I kept at it and every time I went back to the closet the more I got rid of until finally more than half was in the two piles. I found myself looking forward to purging other things. This became a challenge: how much could I get rid of!?

I started posting things for sale on our local Facebook community and found this to be exhilarating! A large mirror, a pair of cowgirl boots, a humidifier, cake boxes, cake stands, a jacket and wetsuit sold rapidly and I was joyful rather than sad to hit the "sold" button on the site. With each sale I was motivated to get rid of more.

I have been carting around boxes of sentimental things - a snowboard boot box of old cards from friends and family dating back to high school, six or so shoeboxes of pictures, a box of my childhood memorabilia - the brace I wore as an infant, my Cabbage Patch dolls, my ragged "blankie", just to name a few. Treasures I have for over a decade believed to be priceless; emotional bonds to my past; reminders of who I am. Through the years I have opened these boxes, quickly rummaged through them, smiled, remembered and then closed the lid and packed it in the back of the closet, to be forgotten for years. I pulled every single one of these boxes out and went though each item in them. Six photo boxes quickly became one; two boxes of childhood memorabilia downsized to one - which included the cards that made the cut.

Next up: family memorabilia and photos. This took several rounds. I found myself getting emotionally attached to stuff, pictures, old school work, clay handprints. Years ago I had gone through the photos and organized them, labeled them and placed them back into the box and forgot all about them. So, when I opened them, each and every one of the labeled packs, I quickly discovered doubles! Remember doubles? Back when we had actual film? Doubles, one to keep and one to share. I remember dropping off the film and days later being so excited to pick them up at the drugstore, ripping them open and reliving the events in front of me. Giggling, smiling, placing the best in an album and then putting them on a shelf, or in a box. Doubles, really means extra garbage. At the end of this process (which took about a week, every night after work) I had filled two garbage bags. Doubles of a blurry birthday dinner; doubles of a darkened silhouette - or is that a landscape?; doubles of the Christmas tree, circa '82. I have been carting this box around for close to 15 years! I whittled this large box down to one shoe box, which fit into the new memorabilia box. Two and one half large containers now fit snugly into one. I felt lighter, freer and excited to purge even more.

We picked a day to have a yard sale and agreed to go through every drawer, cabinet and nook to find stuff to sell. After setting up for the sale Jason and I sat in the garage, looked out into the driveway and shook our heads in awe at the amount of stuff. We were overwhelmed with the thought of having to move it back in...or pack it up to deliver it to the thrift store. Not a single item came back into the house! We ended up giving a lot of it away, but did make $250. We had a car full donated to the Little League rummage sale; Dave Schultz took shoes, clothing and household items and hand delivered them to the needy in his community and the little that remained went to the thrift store.

I have always been a purger. At least twice a year going through my stuff and getting rid of it. But usually other stuff replaced it. With each sale, gifting, full trash bag or donation I felt lighter, freer, happier. I felt a release from stuff I didn't even know had a hold of me...and it feels incredible!

Dress Rehearsal - Final Cut

Here's what made the final cut:

CLOTHING:

1 skirt

1 dress

1 pair jeans

1 pair conversion pants

1 pair cotton trousers

2 shorts

1 beach / hike short

2 t-shirts (plus the one I'll wear on the plane with a light sweatshirt)

2 tank tops

1 light long-sleeved shirt

1 gypsy pant

2 yoga pants

1 yoga tank top

2 bikinis

3 pair socks

2 sports bras

1 bra (plus the one I'll wear on the plane)

6 pair undies

1 pajama set (tank top & running short, which I'll wear as regular clothing too)

1 down sweater

1 rain coat

1 scarf

1 sarong

1 baseball cap

SHOES:

Teva sandal

Nice black stylish sandal

Flip flop

Running shoes

TRAVEL GEAR:

Travel towel

Travel bed sheet

Travel yoga mat

Backpack rain cover

Baby wipes

Earplugs

Face masks (like the kind surgeons wear)

2 spray sunscreen

Electric toothbrush

Outlet converter

Chargers for Macbook Air, IPhone / IPod & camera

Not shown: 2 books for yoga course

TOILETRIES:

1 super cute Sak Saum bag

1 head band

1 bar castille soap

1 face wash

1 face moisturizer

1 small shampoo

1 non-electric toothbrush

1 tube toothpaste

1 small box tampons

1 Eva Cup

Panty liners

Allergy medicine

Not shown:

1 razor w/ 5 changeable heads

1 small brush

DAYPACK / CARRY-ON (weighs 10 pounds):

2 books

2 pens

1 notebook

1 backpack lock

1 storage lock for hostels

2 asthma inhalers

Neck pillow

Headlamp

Flash drive

Camera

Reading glasses

Sunglasses w/ case

Ear plugs

Eye mask

Essential travel oils w/ another adorable Sak Saum case

Papaya enzymes

Ibuprofen / Tylenol

Hand sanitizer

Macbook Air

Money belt

Over the shoulder small bag

Hand lotion

Lipgloss

Gum

IPhone 5s

IPod

Not shown:

Snacks

This is an Osprey Waypoint unisex 80 pack.

Packed & Ready To Go

After packing and repacking a few times, I finally feel comfortable with everything I need for a year long adventure. Final weight is 34.5 pounds which includes the back pack and day pack. Below is a list of everything I will be bringing on our journey:

OSPREY WAYPOINT 85 BACK PACK

1) 4 - t-shirts

2) 3 - button up shirts

3) 2 - pairs of pants

4) 5 - pairs of underwear

5) 4 - pairs of sox

6) 3 - pairs of shorts

7) light down jacket

8) travel towel

9) travel sheet

10) light raincoat

11) back pack rain cover

12) 2 hats

13) camera

14) GoPro

15) lock and cable

16) 1st Aid kit

17) sewing kit

18) travel clothes line

19) playing cards with 6' of duct tape wrapped around the case

20) Headphones

21) MacBook Air

22) ear plugs and blackout mask

23) headlamp

24) neck pillow

25) Galaxy S5 phone

26) sunscreen

27) flip flops

28) Tevas

29) running/hiking shoes

30) toiletry bag (Electric razor, toothbrush, tooth paste, floss, pain meds, deodorant)

31) selfie stick

32) leatherman

33) sunglasses and hard case

I probably brought more than I need, but will donate as I go, if I feel I am not using or wearing certain things. I also have a few things that I will not need until a little later in the journey, but feel I am prepared for any and all adventures that await us!