Although quite a wake up call on the first day (literally and figuratively,) “springing forward” this daylight savings time has brought with it an extra hour of sunlight, which means now I can enjoy at least one hour of my day outdoors during daylight hours.
The other day my roommate and I were sitting in our rather mundane Physics class, and I had an epiphany; we had no class the next day because of registration for next semester, so I proposed that we take a mini road trip someplace not too far, yet interesting and exciting. We decided on St. Louis in large part because neither of us (at least in recent memory) had observed the monolithic Gateway Arch. After class, Willie (my aforementioned roommate) made some desperation calls to get his shift in the library covered, and we were one step closer to basking in the sheer bliss that accompanies such spontaneity!
When we arrived, we parked the car and got some much needed rest. First thing in the morning we made our way downtown to check out the arch, and I was amazed by the awesome things the morning sun was doing to it! We spent a few hours walking around the area and eventually going up into the arch, and it was all gorgeous! We then spent a few hours walking around downtown and quickly noticed how old so many buildings there seemed to be. The architecture and detailing on them was beautiful! After lunch at the hard rock cafe and a chunk of time being lost in the southern part of the city (which, by the way, held some historic-looking stately neighborhoods), we concluded that we were both sufficiently tired enough to call it a day, and began our trek
home.
The trip’s main goals were to capture some interesting photos of the city and to observe as much of it as we could in the time we allotted ourselves. Three hours of sleep in the car in a Walmart parking lot, 15 hours on the road en route to and from our destination, and a few White Castle cheeseburgers later; I feel like we succeeded.
So my friend just moved all the way across the country and took all of her belongings in two suitcases and a backpack. She went by plane so each suitcase was under 50 pounds and her books were contained in a backpack or two.
CRAZY!
Deidra did the same thing when she moved from Oregon to Kansas and vice versa. Pared everything down to one or two huge bags and that’s it. Okay, on the way back to Oregon there were several large boxes shipped expensively with heavy books.
I admire this more than I can put into words.
I would never be able to do this. Darn attachment to material possessions. I’ll qualify: I think I could get most everything down to that size if I forsook my furniture and electronics. I just really like my stereo and wouldn’t want to buy another one if the one I have is perfectly good. Same with my mattress. Mattresses are expensive!
But at the same time I think about what I took to Morocco: One huge blue suitcase under 50 pounds and a small duffel. And I was perfectly okay for two months. I survived and didn’t even buy stuff to replace what I’d left behind. Like at all. Granted, I was living with a host family that had a bed for me and lent me a big fluffy towel since I was totally an airhead and that’s the one thing I forgot.
When Doug visited me last month he brought everything he needed in a backpack and a tennis bag. The boy is crazy.
I have been thinking almost obsessively about moving (packing, logistics, money, etc) in anticipation of December when I’m heading on back to the promised land (Kansas)! Thoughts? Best to pack/move light or to cart all your stuff so you don’t have to replace it when you get to your destination?
My Friend Staci 