Thoreau is offered a carpet by a nice neighbour. Presumably the neighbour wants Thoreau to spruce up his spartan cabin, which he built with his own two hands and a borrowed axe, which he returned sharper than it was, yada yada yada. Thoreau thinks and thinks and says no. The carpet will need to be swept, aired, and eventually thrown out. The carpet's lifeline will be woven into his own lifeline. There is more (time, energy, thought) to be lost than (material pleasure) gained.
Likewise, every shirt, sock, and camera cable in my bag has a cost. I might not be able to use the tram in Istanbul (cost of a taxi). I might have to root longer to find a pair of underwear (cost of time). I might decide not to go to Portugal, because I have to lug my shit around with me (cost of adventure). Thoreau said that we do not own things; they own us.
Flying Vancouver to Winnipeg, here are some things I am carrying:
dates
chocolate
gold
pens and ink
old notebooks
Turkish in Three Months
The Sun Also Rises
Christmas cards
a winter coat
two sandwiches
one scarf
four pashminas
a dozen dresses
two pairs of wool socks
watercolour paper
soft pastels
an essay on the Turkish Language Council
overheads for the warm-up day of teaching
animal cards
hazelnuts
I LOVE this Mary! My first ever blog post was about what I pack in my carry-on. It's neat to see what we value enough to take with us. Jim and I have 2 more weeks to decide what we'll take with us to Costa Rica for the next year (besides the dogs). Happy travels to you. I look forward to hearing about your adventures!
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