I WAS charged the equivalent of R12,000 for excess baggage 12 years ago – despite the fact that I was forced to leave some items which were not extremely necessary. I told myself it would never happen again. The thing with being a first-time traveler, you are excited to bring as much stuff as you can until the charges for excess baggage forces you to leave the heavy, not-so-important items.
You begin to realize that you cannot possibly carry everything with you. You have to prioritize the things needed for your travel. Physically, there are also limitations. Although a cart can be used, the heavy weight of your baggage can make pushing the cart so much of a struggle when all you wanted was to travel and enjoy.
As we travel through life, we also tend to carry excess baggage – the pains caused by failures, criticisms, insults, and break-ups, the endless worries about our state of health, safety, job security, finances, and what people might say. We tend to blame ourselves for the things we did wrong and the things we failed to do that we no longer enjoy the present moment. We keep wishing things were different. No wonder, each day becomes heavy.
We fail to see what’s good and beautiful in our lives because we focus on things which are not extremely important. We also pay a high price because the excess baggage takes a toll on our health and happiness.
Be kind to yourself. Leave the hurts and disappointments behind. Stop worrying too much. Have fun because life is short. Travel light.
