excess baggage

scene: airline baggage counter. 

jen hoisting her bag onto the scale and biting her lip.

jen eying the digital scale warily while praying a silent prayer.

it's a common scene, folks. i thoroughly enjoy packing for trips but the part that makes me cringe {before going to the airport} is dutifully lugging the scale into my room and ensuring that my bag is below the 50 lb. weight limit. 

"50 pounds?!?", someone may have just exclaimed. "Why would you need to take that much stuff?!" 

well, a typical trip for me is attending a conference and that falls into the 'enough said' category.... it does to me, anyway!

but no matter where i go, i don't believe in the concept of being "overpacked"....hahaha! like, i know it exists but i absolutely Do Not "overpack"! oh no!

i am *ahem*-- "prepared for every possible contingency".

problem is, the airlines wish to penalize my preparedness and rightfully so, i suppose. this is why i have to make the effort to not take the extra shoes and way more clothes than i need "just in case". because let's be real: if i were to become crazy and hostile and refuse to pay $25 extra for my 60 lb. bag, there would be no way that i'd be able to get onto that plane. 

it reminds me of life's excess baggage that we choose to hold onto. 

there have been situations where i've felt completely unwilling to change my attitude. i felt justified in holding onto a grudge. why should i have to extend forgiveness and mercy when i did nothing wrong to begin with?

then, the Holy Ghost nudges you {well, Repeated Nudgings for me} and pretty much says : "NEWSFLASH! you aren't going to get any further in your journey unless you choose to Let It Go."

letting go may sound easy to some but i know that it totally isn't. 

but i'll tell ya, it's incredibly freeing to know that you've overcome or are currently overcoming a situation which will in turn, allow you to gain more strength and growth in your journey.

"let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us"

- Hebrews 12:1