The Impossible Endeavor of Packing

44 pounds. My checked bag, for an entire year, can weigh no more than 44 pounds. And I'm a teenage girl. Impossible?

But then it makes you think. How much do I really need for a year? I read an article a little while back about a woman that wore the same gray shirt-dress for a year. And it took people at least a month to notice that she was wearing the same thing everyday. Of course she washed it and changed the accessories, but still, it took people a while to realize what she was doing. And then the lady gave the extra money, which she would've spent on clothes, to a good cause. I love this story because it can be interpreted as fashion wisdom and a life-lesson.  The fashion lesson is that by changing your accessories you can make an outfit look completely different. And it is always good to have a plain, simple piece of clothing which you can do many things with. The more important lesson, however, is the fact that clothes are not everything. Of course clothes are a necessity, but we do not need an extravagant amount. I'm not saying that it's bad to own more than one outfit, because it is always nice to look presentable. What I am talking about is when clothes became the biggest priority in people's lives. What really matters are the relationships that you form with people and the experiences that you have. Also, if everybody is focused on the clothes that they are wearing, they don't normally notice your clothes because they are thinking about their own.  And as shown in the story, other people don't tend to notice what you wear everyday, so does it matter what your clothes are like? Or does it matter what YOU are like?

Still, it's hard for me to fit everything into one suitcase under 44 pounds.  I just got to keep reminding myself that clothes are not as important as I have made them out to be.  And I owe a lot to my mom (shout out!) for putting up with my emotional roller coaster and for helping me with my terrible packing skills.  You are the one that puts my head back on my shoulders.  Mother darling, what will I do without you next year?

Also, I leave tomorrow and I'm not even fully done packing!  Gahhh!  So nerve-racking.  But so far, I think I will (miraculously and barely) be able to make it all work.  I'm just worried about coming back...