I’m leaving for Madison Wisconsin today. I’m flying in today, doing the knit out with the Guild, flying back out on Sunday. Myself and I, we had a little chat with me and decided that since this is a very short trip, we would streamline the bags. Only take what I need, try to leave the suitcase behind….

I’ve got it down to one tiny little bag, but all I can think is that this can’t be enough to go away with. There’s an extra pair of pants, three shirts, three pairs of socks, a pair of yoga pants, the little toiletry bag… two brand new sock projects. (Realistically, I only need one, but only taking one put me right out of my comfort zone.)

This is enough. I feel sure that I have enough. This is how much I need for three days. I know that, but I just can’t stop going though the bag thinking “Really? This is all I have? Really?” I know it’s enough for what I have to do, but it just doesn’t feel like enough to fend off an emergency with – especially since I don’t know the nature of the emergency. I travel so much that if I take my big bag, I’m a streamlined travel machine. I’ve stunned people with my ability to cope using only what’s in that bag. Tea? What sort? It’s in there. Tylenol? Why… yes. Would you rather have Advil? Lost a button? Need a snack? Spare tee shirt? Wanna do a yoga Dvd? Glass of wine? Yup, yup, yup. I have it all, and it all fits in one bag that I’m used to carrying and it’s my system, and it works really well. It works so well that I can bug out of a hotel room faster than a MASH unit on a good day.

This, though… I keep looking at this and being uncomfortable. Last night I was puttering around with it and saying “I must be forgetting something. What else do I need?” and Sam looked at me and said, “I know what you’re forgetting.”

“You do?” I asked. “Yup.” said Sam. “You’re forgetting that you’ll be back on Sunday.”

Right. Small bag. See you later.