There are some people who can pack lightly. They're the ones who can take all their personal belongings and put them in their carry-on at the airport. They breeze through security to board the plane. And they leave out of the airport as soon as their plane lands without ever having to wait for their baggage to get off the conveyor belt. They never worry about lost luggage or wondering if it will all fit in the car. They pack lightly. They live lightly.
These people are not my mom. I brought shorts just in case it's warm. I brought jeans just in case it gets chilly at night. I brought six pairs of flip flops just in case I wear all of these outfits. I brought a bathing suit just in case we go to the pool. I often try to explain that when she visits in March, it will still drop down to 40 degrees at night. 40. degrees. That is not pool weather. And two pairs of flip flops is more than enough. But she will be undeterred.
And this is how she is. Undeterred.
She raised my sister and I, undeterred to let us fail. She pushed us. She encouraged us. She loved us. When we both moved 800 miles away, within three months of each other, she didn't stop us. She let us go. Knowing our future successes lay ahead of us. And as always, she was right.
So maybe there is something to the theory about not packing lightly. On every trip, on every adventure, take with you all the encouragement, all the love and all the flip flops you can fit in your bag. And live life undeterred. Just like my mom.
