I learned a lot back when I was a goalkeeper for my school's soccer team. It wasn't so much the soccer as the soccer metaphors for life. The difference between a good goalkeeper and a bad one is hesitation. A good goalkeeper never hesitates - instinct guides him to the ball.
In the beginning of the planning process for my trip, I never hesitated. I decided to go, told my landlord I was leaving, told my boss I was leaving, told my mom, and bought my plane ticket. Now, though, I feel myself hesitating about one thing: packing.
I spent Thursday evening trying to pack. I say trying because I'm having a tough time making decisions. How do I pack for three months of cooler weather in just a big backpack and bike panniers? At first I had thought to put all of the cold weather stuff in the panniers, which I could then leave packed until the end of the trip. Then I thought, hmm, the panniers probably are easier to access than the big backpack in terms of ease of finding things. As it was getting later into the night, I just took everything I had decided to pack, threw it on the floor, and went to bed.
I decided three pairs of pants - jeans, khakis, and corduroys (green) - would be enough, in addition to the pair of black track pants I'm bringing for bike trips. I thought five long-sleeved shirts were good - two turtlenecks (blue and ribbed gray), one thinner sweater (red), a comfy yellow shirt, and my Cincinnati Reds shirt, which is a mock turtleneck and is made of a fabric designed for athletics - ideal for biking. Then, three warm sweaters - two fleece (one white and the other black and red) and one a wool polyester blend (green with a gray and blue stripe). No, it's definitely not a lot of clothing, but if for some reason I need more, I'll just pick them up at a local store.
But back to my hesitation. I'm typing this at 11am on Saturday morning, the only full day I have left here in DC. Tomorrow I will be attending the last Washington Nationals baseball game ever played at RFK Memorial Stadium (they are getting a new stadium next year, and that's a good thing), so the middle of my day will be broken up by baseball. There's a ton more to do, but my mind is scattered in a million different directions right now, which is why I am on the computer rather than actually doing the things I need to do.
4 comments:
Rain?????
I have rain gear, too. The list of clothing is not an exhaustive list of what I'm bringing. I've got some books, a laptop, toiletries, socks and underwear, shoes, sheets, towels, and a few other things.
Everyone always packs too much.
You know that whatever you decide to take you will have forgotten something and whatever you have packed much of it isn't necessary.
I was always told when going on biking tour lay down what you need and just take half of it. It has worked for me over the years.
Hope to see you soon in Bulgaria Cathie
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