King of the Road

Just a little while ago I posed a question on my Facebook wall because I am preparing for a business trip and have been pondering the ordeal involved in leaving town for a few days. I was wondering if anyone could really pick up and take off at a moment's notice. I asked if there was anyone who didn't have details to cover before they could travel, be it spouse/partner, child, pet, time off from work, laundry, filling travel-sized toiletry bottles . . .

The thing is, even in this age of facility and technological advancement, we still have stuff that tethers us to home, things that make us encumbered. Maybe there are those out there who truly do live that unfettered, bohemian way of life that means you can indulge your wanderlust and go where the wind blows you. But when you come to the end of the road -- perhaps proverbial, perhaps literal -- there is a cost. It means there are no attachments, no fetters, no ties, which isn't always a good thing.

Don't get me wrong. If you are a loner and you are okay with that, more power to you. Be the one we write great epic poems and pithy soul-searching novels about. But, most people were designed for commune (not necessarily to live in a hippy commune) with other humans. We were meant to build and thrive on relationships. We were made for each other.

There is nothing wrong with forming lasting bonds with the people around you. In fact, good or bad those bonds really enrich life. Relationships are complicated, yes. But it's how we grow. It's how we learn. It's how we experience all it means to be human.

It's one thing to be weighed down by stuff -- bobbles, chotchkes, gee-gaws, knick-knacks, and general crap. And, really, that can be the stuff in your household or the stuff in your relationships. Many relationships are filled with trinkets to symbolize a love that is never fully or effectively expressed.

It's a different thing altogether to be surrounded by and invested in people or animals who care for and depend on you. So, I guess I'm saying take an inventory of the stuff in your life and evaluate whether or not it's something worth the amount of time it slows you down for jumping on the next train to wherever. If you don't care whether or not it's there when you come back, maybe it shouldn't be taking up space in your life at all (that goes for people too). If you feel the need to make sure it receives the proper care and attention while you're gone, protect it. Guard it. Make plans before you go anywhere to see that what you cherish is safe.

With that said, I have to start packing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OmOe27SJ3Yc