My Humble Red Backpack...

I don’t like people picking up my backpack…not because I’m worried that they’ll run off with it or anything like that, but because of how heavy it is. We’ve all heard the jokes about women and their purses and how much stuff can be crammed in said purses. I guess my backpack serves the same purpose for me. I carry with me a lot of stuff. I bought the thing the first semester of grad school and it’s still going strong.

 

Some of what I carry is practical, but I suppose most of it does not need to travel with me. I blame—in part—my parents. Both my parents grew up in the depression, my father being almost 10 when it began. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to talk to him about how things really were before he died. My mother was younger and was still a child in the mid-1930’s. She still remembered it being tough on the family, though.

 

 What does all this have to do with a backpack? Good question. My parents kept things...not like they were hoarders or anything like that, but you never know when you'll need something. I carry things around just in case. In my backpack I have a eyeglass repair kit with me, a 320 gigabyte external hard drive with me, several business cards to people who, not only have I forgotten, but who probably no longer work for the businesses printed on the cards themselves. I have several medications for headaches and allergies, fingernail clippers, several pairs of headphones, a couple of water bottles, a Leatherman-type tool complete with pliers and screwdrivers, and I think I even have one of those pocket hand warmer things. You just never know.

Needless to say, the thing is heavy (especially with my laptop crammed in there too…) so I hate for anyone to pick up the thing. I can’t imagine what someone might think if they do.

But I carry things with me that have no physical weight. We all do. Memories, thoughts, feelings, emotions…they all accompany me wherever I go. Some are light and others overwhelmingly heavy. I guess I don’t like it when others try to carry those, either. Just imagine what they’ll think…