Unpacking

When I talk to people about what baggage we take with us on our journey in life, many of us might say, “Oh, I don’t have any baggage.”

In a workshop I gave a couple years ago I asked everyone in the class to bring a bag with sacred items with them to the class. I then asked for each person to share with their neighbor what they had in their sacred bag and why it was important to them. Then we talked about how attachments and sacred items are baggage we often take around in life. I then asked that we allow our neighbor to care for our sacred bag and keep it safe for the remainder of the workshop. It was at that moment that we all realized we have items in our carry-on.

I am a very confident man and have for some time now carried what some lovingly refer to as a “man-bag, murse” you get the picture. I realize from time to time that it’s fully loaded, and there are those times when my honey or a friend will hand it to me, and say: “Wow, what do you have in this thing bricks?” I know that I have attachments in life, and that I ask everyone that I enter into a relationship with to then make room for me, and my bag.

I have often made the word bag, baggage, luggage, to be a bad word when used to describe those things I am holding on to, or those things I have attachment to. One of the great Buddhist teachings is the art of detachment; the ability of letting go and going with the flow. I am doing better with that each day. Things like; how you and I get to the store may be very different and letting go of your path and how you get there. Those seem to be fairly easy these days, and then as if on cue a friend will say “I am moving to another state”, or “I have a new job and I will be traveling a great deal more.” It is at those moments when I realize that I have my bag wide open and I am busy packing.

Sometimes I pack for a day trip, other times I may pack for a month, and depending on the level of attachment, I may even pack everything I own and put it in boxes marked fragile. A few years back when I needed to relocate due to health reasons, I first had to ask for help from my parents, (life lesson) then I had to be open to the way they packed, stacked, labeled, and stored the boxes. Talk about seeing your attachments first hand. Let’s just say that most of my life I have been an “A-type” personality. When I talk about carry-ons, what I really mean is steamer trunks. One of the amazing things that my journey into joy has taught me is the art of letting go. Oh I still have my moments and then I remember to breathe deeply and say the words “I Trust!”

This idea of unpacking came about while thinking about all the things in my bag. Do I surround myself with folks who I trust my scared items with, and are they willing to help me unpack? I’m not talking about them doing the work for me, I am talking about being there to remind me it’s safe, I have this, and that it’s time to unpack. You know, no matter how great I get at the art of detachment, I choose to remember that from time to time regardless of what is going on I really need to take everything out of my bag and make sure it still holds value. When I do that it helps me keep my carry-on light and able to fit in the overhead compartment of life. Enjoy your journey, remember to pack light, and remember to unpack and enjoy your stay.

I love you

Rev. Allen