When the Letting Go Becomes An Adventure

     I'm in a season of letting go...

     I'm leaving books and furniture and my loved ones behind.

     Yes, I am leaving books behind. I want to pack lightly. And two hundred books doesn't exactly scream light. I've always been a fan of margin, and I know you feel it too--this need for less. This need for adventure and flying free.

     Somehow, letting go of material possessions is an adventure in itself. As I packed for college, I ran this through my head repeatedly: Pack like you're leaving the country. Pack as light as you possibly can.

     Adventure and simplicity walk hand-in-hand for me.

     I see all the possibilities of my future but without so much stuff. I see my favorite pajamas, my favorite book with its weathered pages, and my homiest blanket with memories of Brazil tucked into its folds.

     While {dorm packing lists galore} remind me to pack shoe organizers, "essential" oils (I find I can live quite easily without), and all kinds of other unnecessaries, I come back to packing as light as I can.

     Years ago, I read Packing Light by Allison Vesterfelt. While I don't agree with everything she professes, I loved the pictures she painted. She packed everything she needed into her car and went on to visit all fifty states with her friend on the most epic road trip.

     Wherever I may roam, I want to have the comforts of home within the lightness of a suitcase.

     And so I am fitting everything I need for college in the trunk of our little Toyota. And when I leave my bedroom behind, with its white walls and pristine arrangement, I will take the warmth with me.

     Picture the best day of your life. Picture it clearly, until color swirls into the scene around you. Do you see tchotchkes or faces?

     Because while home may be made up of the little familiar things around us, it is also the people we love.

     In the spirit of packing light, I am selling my Belle and Cinderella silhouettes. $5 each or $8 for the set. Email me at madelineosigian@gmail.com if you are interested. First come, first served.

~Madeline