I'd like to give a shout-out to my mom, who once again helped me put things in perspective. I called her because I spent my Saturday feeling increasingly stressed by all the things I told myself I needed to accomplish.
Just trying to pick the right size and quantity of plastic containers was throwing me for a loop – and don't get me started on the packing supplies that were taunting me in the store. And were the quality of the containers at The Container Store any better or worse than those at Target? And why did Target's parking lot look like the last weekend before Christmas?
So post-conversation with mom, I started to remember this is suppose to be fun! Yes, I've decided to take on a GIGANTIC change in my life's direction, however I'm the one who is in control. Why have I been placing so much pressure on myself? Can I really choose the wrong type of plastic bin to store my stuff? Can stopping in Tahiti instead of Fiji be the end of me?
Saturday night, I drove back to The Container Store, and bought two bins and some packing tape. I decided to start small – packing my pots and pans. If the bins weren't the right size, I'd just return them. As I drove the short distance back home, I passed all the people out and about for the evening. It's the big party night for Halloween, and I couldn't help but think of how I was about to take an off-ramp from American societal norms.
The bins turned out to be the right size – perfect actually. I cut up the heavy plastic bags which I kept from my new mattress/boxspring and used it as wrapping.
Tomorrow, I'm going to show my stack of books who's the boss!
Dave is the Founder and Editor in Chief of Go Backpacking and Feastio. He’s been to 66 countries and lived in Colombia and Peru. Read the full story of how he became a travel blogger.
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