Thursday, September 22, 2016

Packing Light


About a month ago, while packing for a vacation, I accidentally left at least half of the clothes that were suppose to be packed in my suitcase on a shelf in my closet instead.  Of course I didn’t realize it until I was there, unpacking my bag.  Fortunately I brought my most important things, and just didn’t have as many duplicates on shirts and pants as I had intended.  Also fortunately, the place we were staying had a washer and dryer.

For a vacation that was a little over a week, I had a pair of leggings, a mini skirt, a pair of pants, 2 long sleeved t-shirts and 3 short sleeved shirts and a warm hoodie.  Normally, I pack a different outfit for each day I’m on vacation. So this was a big change for me.

And as it turns out, it was a good change.  I learned that I LOVE packing light.  I wore every single item of clothing I bought- more than once!  I mainly layered things because I was in Colorado, and the weather was much cooler than I’m used to in Dallas.  I didn’t have to think much about what to wear each day, because there just wasn’t much to choose from.  I did a load of laundry when I ran out of things, and then just wore everything again. When I got home, there weren’t as many clothes to launder and put away as usual and that was yet another bonus.  Also, the clothes I brought on that trip make me think of Colorado-  Now, each time I see my “Life is Good” t-shirt now, it’s not just another t-shirt.  Instead, it’s, “Awww, it’s that t-shirt I wore all the time on the Pagosa Springs trip.”  And I like that!

So when I was packing for my trip to Breckenridge this past week, I packed light again.  I knew we were staying at a house that had a washer and dryer, AND I also knew we weren’t traveling to a 3rd world country.  If there was something I found myself needing, I could always buy it once I was there!

Again, I loved that I only had a few different pieces of clothing to chose from each day. If it was clean and it seemed warm enough (or cool enough, depending on the day’s weather) it went ON.  Everything I brought pretty much matched, so it was like I was back to wearing Garanimals. Remember Garanimals? When I was a kid, it was a clothing line, made for kids, that are ideal to "mix-n-match" because each season, everything they put out matched, more or less. I could get dressed in the dark, and no matter what, it wouldn’t be a complete disaster.
Garanimals

So there it is. This is minimalism that works for me... Packing mix-n-match clothes, and keeping it light... as long as I have access to a washer and dryer!
Because seriously, who cares what clothes someone is wearing when the scene looks like THIS anyway?!

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