Traveling with a Load

Vintage Samsonite Luggage

The first time I flew on an airplane, I grossly over-packed my suitcase.  I’m not talking about the suitcases that we have now with wheels and adjustable handles.  I’m talking about 1970’s style – straight off The Brady Bunch - luggage that you had to drag.  Now, envision me at about 110 pounds navigating the airport for the first time, probably in heels, to get this big, bulky, blue bag from point A to point B.  To say that I was struggling is an understatement. Thankfully there was a chivalrous gentleman or two on hand to assist me. I learned the error of my ways and pack as lightly as possible when I’m flying, but I still don’t always travel lightly. Trouble ensues.

I live in a walkable community, but it has numerous valleys and hills. Earlier this week, to save time, I took a shortcut to get to the highway.  I’ve taken this route before, but usually by myself.  The path is easy enough, but it required me to go downhill then back uphill. I’m no stranger to walking uphill, and I prefer this terrain when I’m exercising.  But, this wasn’t exercising, and I was pushing precious cargo.

As hills go, this was not a major one, and as the day was unseasonably warm, I felt like I could climb Mount Everest. I began my ascension bold in stride. It was relatively easy at first, but then I remembered I was not alone. It was one thing to climb with my own weight, which is no longer near 110, but it’s a different reality to climb uphill with a load. To make things worse, the grass was slick and muddy from the rain, and my feet began to slip.

Accessed from International Reporting Project

By myself, I would have navigated the landscape differently.  I looked down the hill, and it seemed much farther to slide back than it was to go up. Besides, I had a strange feeling that someone was in a nearby car or house waiting to video my descent.  Going viral on social media was not in my plans that day. More important than embarrassment or even my falling, I could not and would not have my load fall with me.

I dug my hills into the earth to steady myself and ensured I had a firm grip on my cargo, and I stopped. I looked up, caught my breath, turned slightly, and pushed forward. In a matter of moments, I was back on level ground and on my way to my destination.

Some things to ponder:

• It's harder traveling with additional weight. One path might be easier for us alone, but with additional people or things, it can grow difficult quickly.
• When the load is not ours, we may have to leave it behind.
• When the load is ours, leaving it behind or letting it fall are not options.
• Where there are valleys, there are also hills.
• We may encounter other obstacles as we are climbing out of valleys.

Many of us have had to climb our way out of metaphorical valleys, and some us may be facing them now in the form of grief, debt, illness, homelessness, relationship trials, legal issues, or other life circumstances. Depending on the size of the hill we must climb, it may take us longer than we ever anticipated.  If we are adding our loads, the hill may look like a mountain, but it is possible to emerge from every valley and mount every hill to victory.  When we feel like our legs are about to buckle, we need to pause for a break. Catch our breath.  Get some energy.  Shift course. Proceed.

Galatians 6: 5 states, “For each one should carry his own load.”

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©2018 by Antoinette V. Barber