Why Carry Excess Baggage?

by Rhea Vitto Tabora

I don’t mean airport luggage. That one is a lot easier to solve – just pay the fee. No brainer. Done.

How about life’s baggage?

For the second time, I’m quoting my parish priest in my blog. I had several experiences in the past when I almost fell asleep or yawned a hundred times while listening to a priest’s homily. These days, I quite appreciate the style and contents of the priest’s sermon. His message in yesterday’s mass was to “leave the excess baggage behind.” Drop them. Be free. Because you’ll learn to love better if you are free.

He went on saying that in today’s world, we slave ourselves with gadgets and telenovelas. We always get ourselves buried under a mountain of things. We always worry. And we have forgotten to love better.

As someone who is passionate about traveling and enjoys this journey called life, here are my thoughts on this topic. Feel free to share your comments below :)

1. Hand luggage is enough. Know what to pack; don’t bring too much – this is the key to a more enjoyable trip. The same goes with our life journey. Don’t fuss with too much baggage in your life. And when you pack, check twice if those are the items you really need for your journey. Trust your gut and decide wisely – you might need to replace one thing with another.

2. Be at peace with the world. Don’t carry its weight on your shoulders. Instead of moaning and complaining, do something. I had my share of suitcases bulging with too many questions when I was a student activist – questioning social injustices, human rights violations, political and economic issues, environmental concerns, etc. I still do until now. But instead of chanting in the streets, I now do my own little way to help lighten the dark side of this world.

3. Learn to unpack. Throw away and leave behind things that you don’t need anymore – painful past relationships (not necessarily with a partner), old wounds, stressful work, dark past, and whatever is holding you back. Just keep with you the lessons that you learned from them. Don’t get stuck in the past, or worse, go backward.

4. Free yourself from the baggage packed by others. You get hurt. You feel pain. You fear. You were disappointed. Fine. Deal with it. Get over it. Move on. Don’t drag your suitcases around with many unresolved issues.

5. Free your mind from the things that slow you down. Let go. Don’t stress yourself over little things.

Then smile, for you now have space for the more valuable things in life. Now that you have achieved that, be mindful with what you put on that bag. Fill your luggage only with the good, positive things in life – happy relationships, kind gestures, good health, beautiful memories, financial freedom to help those in need. Spread some love and kindness in this world. Enjoy your journey.

Keep in mind the same things for the next leg of your journey if you want it to be more enjoyable, more meaningful, more fulfilling. Life is a beautiful journey. Don’t torture yourself.

If in the end you still want to carry excess baggage, be ready to pay the price. Excess baggage fee always applies.