Traveling Light

Packing for the trip of a lifetime — My Sunday Best #44

I have a tiny suitcase that lives in the car. I take it to every gig and open it on a table near the stage—creating a mini display of my life’s work. Inside, there’s a toy car that was a gift from my mother and sister. It represents a song I wrote titled Blue Volkswagen Bug. There’s a hand-painted rock with my dog Dennis’s picture—a gift from a friend. My younger sister made the wooden plaque that hangs in the center. There are also three different CDs with 28 songs. Each song is a time capsule that holds countless moments that came together for a brief encounter in time and place—layers of stories that include the initial seeds of creation and collaborations of voices, notes, melodies, harmonies, and rhythms. If I wanted to go further down the rabbit hole, there are stories within the stories—the musicians, producers, and engineers who gave their energy and time to my projects.

There is also a booklet called Songs & Stories. It has pictures that I’ve taken and words about people I’ve known, what I think, and how I feel. It’s personal stuff that reveals the deeper layers of me— layers that aren’t so visible on the surface. It’s all there, displayed at every gig for the entire world to see. Yikes! It’s like putting my laundry on display, including my underwear! It’s a scary vulnerability.

Yet I continue to open up that suitcase because it’s an opportunity to connect. Even though I may not see it at first, I know I have more than a few things in common with every person I meet. For instance, I can safely say that we all love, laugh, get sick at times, tired, and discouraged. Most certainly, we’ve experienced heartbreaking losses. There are also days we rejoice, feel great, and see the beauty in everything. And through it all, we’re doing the best we can. That’s a pretty good start for a first impression. From there, new relationships and connections can’t help but grow.

My tiny suitcase holds years of my life. Each item represents hours of my time—proof that I was here. And even though it may hold a few items I can sell, it’s mostly packed with ideas that don’t take up a lot of room, reminding me that I don’t need much. Life has a way of showing up at the right time and place with everything I need.

What will I pack for this trip of a lifetime, which starts today? I can tell you for sure what I don’t need. I don’t need to bring any feelings of doubt, fear, unworthiness, or a bag of scary “what ifs?” Although I’m tempted to bring them because…well, that’s what I know, it’s familiar and comfortable. But lucky for me, I don’t have the time or space.

However, there are a few things I can’t travel without, such as the nurturing relationships of friends, and family members, and the love of my partner and soulmate. I also need the daily inspiration of Mother Nature and all her life-sustaining gifts. Not to forget the unwavering adoration and love of a dog named Dennis. Although I think I will bring along the bag of “what if?” possibilities. None of these things will fit in my suitcase anyway.

So where will I go and what will I do with this one beautiful life, year, month, week, day, hour, and all those ticking seconds? I’m not sure yet. The destination isn’t clear. But my bag is packed and I’m ready to go. No, I’m not leaving on the next jet plane. However, I am going from here to there. When it comes down to it, I guess I don’t need to bring that much. But I will take the little yellow suitcase, in case I need some gas money along the way.