Repacking 重新打包

One of the things about being on the move is that you learn what you really need. When we moved to California from Oregon, we did some pretty serious downsizing, but we still had boxes and boxes.

We moved to Taiwan with two pallets and the luggage you see here. We actually could have left a few things behind, but some things we left behind really should have come along.

As we consider everything we own, we reinforce what's important to us. Freedom ranks high.What we carry with us determines how much freedom we enjoy. Whenever we consider making a purchase, we ask ourselves "where does this fit in our lives (not to mention in our house!)?"

We've enjoyed being lighter on our feet, both at home and when we travel. That sense of freedom filters into other parts of our lives as well. It's not just a physical process; it's a mental and spiritual process as well.

While we were still in transition, Mark read a book by Richard J. Leider and David A. Shapiro called "Repacking Your Bags." (You can read an excerpt of their new edition here: http://www.scribd.com/doc/4309362/FREE-EXCERPT-Repacking-Your-Bags-Lighten-Your-Load-for-the-Rest-of-Your-Life)

The intro includes a story about how a Masai chief looked around at all the gear one of the authors had brought in his pack and asked a simple question that made the author reevaluate everything.

Some of what we keep with us is highly valuable, but some of it is simply being carried around, day after day, month after month, year after year until we simply can't imagine not having it with us. Every once in awhile, it's good to take everything out and see what's still useful. That includes everything from kitchen utensils to attitudes to belief systems and long-held thinking patterns. "Where does this fit in my life? What good does it do me? Is it worth carrying this around everywhere I go?" As things change and grow, that answer may change.

And as Leider and Shapiro note in "Repacking Your Bags," we're always in transition.