Packing is SUCH a PAIN!

Packing for a vacation is stressful, but nothing like packing for a trade show or event.  I woke bolt upright this morning thinking about the 2 things for the classes I will be teaching in Toronto that had NOT made it into my suitcase last night.  The worry that I will forget something important and have to fly by the seat of my pants makes the last 24 hours before a show really difficult for me.

It’s funny, but once  I am on the plane then I seem to relax because I know that there’s nothing I can do but go with the flow and adapt.  It is the running around before I leave, trying desperately to remember everything that I find much more challenging.

Is it easier to leave the kids behind as they get older?  It is different.

I can still remember the guilty feeling of freedom to be in my own head space that I felt that first year flying up to teach at what was then the Creative Sewing and Needlework Festival.  Time to write in my journal on the plane, no one’s food to cut, rediscovering myself as a person instead of just a Mom... those were all heady stuff.

Now my girls are both capable of getting themselves out the door in the morning to school and even helping with or making a basic supper.  While they may not need my help as much, I know that they will still miss me.  The hugs were much stronger this morning than usual.

Absence can make the heart grow fonder.  Maybe their rooms will be tidier when I get home.

Did I mention how much I hate packing? Here is another reason... stuff gets lost!

Yesterday, I did all the laundry to get ahead and wash up some of the clothes I needed for the show.  It promised to be a beautiful, sunny day with a nice breeze so despite the bitter morning cold, I put laundry out on the line.  Silly dragon!

I checked it again before I left to teach my pre-supper Weight Watcher meeting and some things were still a bit damp, so I left Nick a note to get stuff off the line when he got home.

Last night as I was packing, the only thing missing was my good dress bra.  When I asked Nick about it, he said he hadn’t seen it.

I found it this morning in my garden, covered in frost.

Needless to say... it is going in the dryer before I put that sucker on!

I HATE PACKING!