BAGGAGE CLAIM

Image by toastforbrekkie via Flickr
This past week, I traveled through several busy airports with my husband to attend a wedding of a relative. I was most amused by those who, wanting to avoid the baggage fee elected to try and stuff their lives into whatever carry-on size was permissible.On each flight we chuckled as several guests struggled determinedly to get an already overstuffed carry-on into overhead baggage minimized to a pinhole by other passengers also looking to save some cash. One woman broke a nail trying to sandwich her carry-on into much too small a space, another gentleman broke the wheels off his carry-on, frustrated by being told that the plane was waiting for him to close the overhead door before it could depart. 

Sometimes stuffing everything we can into someplace it doesn't really fit doesn't make it easier.

I didn't enjoy having to pay the fee either but I knew that trying to stuff formal attire into a carry-on would have been much like trying to get into the same jeans I wore in college (yeah, that impossible!). The fee wasn't exorbitant. Come to think of it, I know I would easily spend that on a cheap pair of shoes, a lunch in a restaurant or even some make up, but when we think about spending money just to ship our "stuff" it becomes another issue entirely.  Speaking of "stuff", I always enjoy watching how some people approach and identify their "stuff" at the baggage claim. Some turn over every black, brown or grey bag hoping they can claim it and be on their way.  I overheard one woman tell her husband,"We didn't bring one with a handle on the side and besides, ours is cloth!". Few people ever decide to saunter around the baggage claim, taking their good old time until they feel ready to leave. The baggage claim is one place where everyone simply wants to hurry and pick up what is theirs and get to their next destination.

We don't tend to react to our life's baggage with quite the same enthusiasm however. 

Yet, if we did, we might be far better off, simply stuffing what we have to deal with in whatever container it fits, and then moving on with our life. But unlike real baggage, the emotional baggage of our lives often weighs us down to the point that we can't part with it, can't allow someone else to handle it for awhile and  would be able to recognize it from miles away.


We had a fabulous time connecting with family we hadn't seen in quite awhile. Brothers and sisters teased each other about who got who in trouble, who really was to blame for an incident, what they really thought about something from years ago. It was healthy, more than a bit amusing and sometimes downright hysterical to hear the stories from different sides and to hear the spouse's versions as well. Maybe some circumstances could have been a claim check for emotional baggage that happened long ago but intact families mature and move on and don't live out of the contents of a bag they packed more than a few decades back. 

In healthy relationships, you can look at your past, talk about it and leave it there, in the past, realizing that just because something once was does not mean it still is.

What about you? Are you still carrying way too much emotional baggage and paying a price to bring it along with you? Do you insist on trying to locate a bag lost years ago that was never meant to be claimed, just because it is part of your identity you can't or won't part with?  Have you wasted way too much time at the baggage claim, searching for what looked to be your "stuff" because you have failed to recognize what really is important to claim and what is essential to let go so you too can move on with your life? 


Are you more of what your baggage is than what you really are?


Sometimes it is just a suitcase, but to those who insist on holding on to the emotional baggage they believe is part of who they are, it is a lifestyle; one that is holding them back from enjoying more space, more time and more comfort. If you paid the price once and for all for your stuff, it's gone and someone somewhere else is handling it. If you really can't come to terms with paying the price, stuff what you can into whatever you find and hope for the best but don't be angry when something else goes wrong. Most importantly never look for baggage that isn't even yours.You can't pack everything. Know what is important and what you can do without and plan accordingly and most of all recognize that traveling without your emotional baggage might help your life's journey be far more appealing with far less discomfort. Even the Lord encouraged us in Luke 9:3 to "take nothing for the journey, no staff, no bag, no bread, no money."


Although not practical in real travel, perhaps on life's journey, what is past should remain there and we should worry about what else we need when we get to where we are going. Most certainly we don't want to waste our time at the baggage claim. 


What's the worst that can happen if you lose your baggage? A few things are gone, some will need replaced and some never will be missed. It's only "stuff". How much "stuff" has made your journey less than a well deserved and well remembered trip? Image via Wikipedia


Are you willing to travel lighter leaving behind the things unessential for the rest of your journey?