Planning for Packing

Two of my favorite things to do are to go on a trip and to pack for that trip. My friends all dread packing and put it off until the last minute, sometimes an hour before leaving for the airport. I am the complete opposite though and when I begin to write a packing list two weeks before a trip it makes me excited. The trip may be two weeks away, but it is something that I can do when I must wait as patiently as possible for a get-away. Before I pull out a suitcase, I pull out a pen and notepad and list everything I will need to bring with me. From the suitcase itself down to the smallest of pocket mirrors, I must list everything in an extremely detailed manner. So as I face a trip on the horizon I ask myself, do I delve into my deep desires of writing lists to plan an outfit for every occasion or do I bring the looks that never belonged in my small town to the city that never sleeps? The hunger to be able to know what I’m going to encounter so I can prepare is growling but it is not being fed. My source for this getaway’s plans isn’t in the know as she did say, “We’re going to play it by ear”. I thought she was joking and up until this point, I searched for more information except she doesn’t have any information to give. My pre-packing ritual of creating an extensive and detailed list of every item I need for every outfit and the venue that I would show it off at has been reduced drastically. Without specific details to our itinerary, I must generalize my packing list to “Day Outfit” and “Night Outfit”. The categories have been broadened and I must decide to nip my overpacking habits in the butt or allow anxiety to feed a need to be over-prepared. Going to New York for the first time ever with my best friend at my side is already an adventure, should I make it even more daring by only bringing a definite outfit for each day and night without any backups even if it doesn’t fit with where we are going (or even the weather)? It is 2018, a year I know is going to be full of new experiences and life changes but why can’t I take steps to make sure it is fun and mysterious? It might seem like small step where I relinquish my tendency to over-pack but, I’ve found a new kind of excitement at not knowing what is going to happen!

As I finalized my list I threw the categories out the window and bulleted what I would be wearing. I feel like a minimalist, however, I believe a true minimalist would be feeling overwhelmed with my “essentials”.