I think my overall theme for the day is “don’t overdo it”. It’s pretty good advice, which I’m definitely in need of taking, and which aptly applies to our Packing 101 focus this week.
Learning balance, moderation, what is important and what’s not, is something we hopefully learn with age, and it’s a constant struggle for me. Almost on a daily basis I see Ava & Lucia “overdo” it…whether it’s eye concealer, or their dramatic, over the top, response to Snapchat restrictions. Everything is on turbo, and overdone. It's exhausting. On a daily basis I see myself pushing my limits, stretching the boundaries of a reasonable schedule, and beating back the desire to control my kids and the world to make myself feel safe. Also exhausting. I feel responsible for everything that happens, even stuff that I really have no control over, and don’t warrant the level of stress I attribute to them. It’s not just a problem with my kids, it’s pretty much with everything. The attitude that more is better and that "too much" of something is a sign of love and enthusiasm--vs. just good old fashioned neurosis (of which, I fear, I have a lot of.)
Once I had a counselor who wisely told me to pick a few big picture things I want for my kids, and measure everything I did against that. The idea being to let go control of all the small things that didn’t make any difference to end goals. I.E., don’t overdo it. I struggle with this everyday, my natural instinct is to overdo and overthink just about everything. Less is more?….never heard of that. Think big picture, and try to focus on the big picture goals....that bit of wisdom I paid big bucks for 10 years ago and 10 years later I still have to remind myself regularly.
So why do I dwell on this today? Well, I’m knee deep in overdoing it.... too many things to do; we are trying to find a high school for Ava to go to next year (very stressful because it feels like the determiner of her entire future which it’s not), we had Taekwondo, speech therapy, and basketball practice this afternoon. The rest of the week is looming in front of me, and I think overall, I have overdone it today (and probably will tomorrow). It was the thought I had as I sat in Gia’s Taekwondo class, and bought Elizabeth Gilbert's Big Magic book on my Ipad and started in. How the heck am I going to have any room for creative magic if I’m filling my head/time/life with things or stressors that aren’t necessary? I’m excited to read this book. Ironically, I feel like I've overdone it with self-help books lately...but this one really does look good.
Not that anything I did today could necessarily be eliminated (almost everything was for my kids), but I’m going to really try to be more mindful about what I put into my schedule because it might just be crowding out something more important. I'm also going to be more mindful about what I spend my energy stressing about.
Which is where I will segue into packing. I have employed a more is better mentality in the past which is cumbersome, confusing, and heavy. I really think the key to packing well, is to not overdo it. Bring your great fitting black pants, your favorite jeans, and a versatile black skirt. Make sure you have core pieces on the bottom and the top, and if you are going to overdo anything, make it your accessories. Bring a few different scarves/wraps (they are light, small to pack, and change the entire look of an outfit). Bring a couple of great necklaces, and an easy small clutch.
Lugging around a ton of stuff when you are traveling is just burdensome, and more often than not you won’t wear half of it. Don’t OVERDO packing, take your favorites, and your classics because these are the easiest to wear. Accent it with your fun accessories, and good shoes. Easy. Keep it simple and light. I love this Katie
Brown wrap top because it converts from day to night, and could be casual or dressy. What's great about having key basics, is that you can swap things around. Dinner at a more casual place? Wrap top, jeans and boots. Dinner at a nicer place? Wrap top, black skinny pants, heels and a couple of great accent necklaces.
Often when you are traveling you don't exactly know what you'll end up dressing for (dressier dinner at trendy hip place, or brew pub dinner?), but if you have pieces that mix and match well and can serve double duty, you will be set. Don't panic while packing and start throwing stuff in, it's a common mistake and lands you squarely in the overdone category. Stay focused on key pieces, mix and match items like this Katie Brown Wrap Top, and easy accessories to keep things fresh.
Signed, ME {lv}
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