On having the essentials

I like backpacking.  I'm not hardcore about it, per se, but I enjoy it.  The thing that I like the most about backpacking is that it has taught me a lot about things that are essential and things that are not.  For example, being about to purify my water- that's an essential thing.  According to good friends of mine, coconut milk, bath salts, pillows, nine pairs of shoes and deodorant are non-essential things.  They are all nice, they make it nice for other people to be around, but they are not essential to the journey.  The things that I can carry are more than enough for me, and my adventures are never less full because I don't have my cable or on-demand.

I like to think that there is a greater truth in this.  The things that I can carry are more than enough.  In a world were I can barely stuff another dress or cardigan in my closet, it is eye-opening to think about having only what I can carry, and treasuring only what I can hold.  Allowing the journey to be the reward, instead of the souvenirs that come along with it.

As I think about this, I wonder about the things in life that I consider to be essential- outside of my backpacking mentality- things like kindness, joy, loyalty, faithfulness, and wisdom.  The things that get forgotten in the pressure to be successful and wealthy.  Like with my backpack, what good would a pillow be if I had no room for a sleeping bag?  What good would success be in my life without good friends to share it with?  And what good would wealth be to me without the wisdom to steward that wealth, the loyalty to steward it well, and the joy to give it away?  I hope that I never forget that the essentials are the things that always matter- the foundations upon which the non-essential things can grow (or be purchased, as the case may be)- and here's to hoping that my glass is always half-full, and that my backpack is always light.