packing

Packing
is so much fun.

like taking a trip by remote. think of all the things you will be doing, later, and the things you could be doing, and the things that you might do, and the things you'd probably not do but hate to miss for not having packed for it.

long hols. the Big Bag.

day trip. the knapsack.

shoes. walking. long silent stretches, warm sun, cold breeze, views. some talk. and constant, steady, footsteps.

batteries, camera, film, memory cards. all the snaps you'll take, imagined vistas and memorable moments.

energy bars. the hikes, the trails. the moment of pure bliss when you take off the pack in a shady spot and open a water bottle.

canned food. the campfire, the gusting wind at night.

camcorder. the group of friends you're going with, the friends you're going to meet.

notepad. the long breaks from everyone in nature, just you and your thoughts.

credit cards and membership cards. the gifts you're going to be buying, the family you'll be seeing.

formals. weddings and pitches. presentations and parties. confidence of looking good, of being admired, envied, especially by that piss-off cousin who dropped in during the summers.

MP3 player. the long bus journeys, staring out of the window, dozing in and out of consciousness, the rest stops in the middle of nowhere.

books. the long train home, across the length of india, inch by inch.

jacket. memory of face tingling in the cold while the reast of you is toasted warm. bike engine at midnight on deserted main roads, searching for the one open coffee bar, the cigarette vendor, the petrol pump.

trunks. cool cool pool or warm sand. chilled beer, condensation dripping down the edge. beautiful young women in bikinis.

band-aids and odomos. moving quietly through the brush, backpack on your back, birds calling around you, rustlings.

empty spaces. all the souvenirs and gifts you're going to be bringing back.

tickets. sounds of the stations, the smells. announcements. display boards. chai. omlette-bread from the station stalls. wheelers'.

activating roaming... or not activating roaming. sense of connection, or sense of liberation.

setting the officemail autoreply. sending the officially-away-on-leave note.

lists. maps. places to go, things to see, gifts to buy, food to eat, snaps to take, people to meet...

the medical kits, survival kits, vehicle spares, repair kits, emergency rations. adventure. finding your limits. walking into the unknown.

I love packing.