Baggage

Everybody's got it. It comes in all shapes and sizes. Satchels, purses, over-sized suitcases, hockey bags, brief cases, backpacks. Louis Vuitton, distressed leather, Fendi, vintage, Prada. It could weigh 22 pounds, it could weigh 5 ounces. The point is, there is no escaping it. Where ever you travel, from continent to continent, or from relationship to relationship, there's always got to be some sort of baggage.

According to Canadian transportation regulations, all airline passengers are allowed two pieces of checked baggage each weighing no more than 50 pounds and with linear measurements less than 62 inches. Two pieces of carry-on baggage weighing less than 20 pounds are also permitted. So, how much baggage is too much baggage in a relationship?

I suppose it all depends on the situation. But let's just clarify, baggage isn't necessarily a bad thing, it's just a fact of life. Baggage becomes negative when you let your amount or size of baggage influence your future travel plans, or how you treat your future travel companion. I definitely believe that anyone with baggage is completely capable of being successful in a relationship.

In the past, I think I may have been blissfully unaware of what exactly baggage is. But my encounters with Wild, who is 7 years my senior, have made me realize that everyone is carrying around some kind of shit or another. It definitely looks prettier if it's contained in a $5000 designer handbag, but it doesn't change the fact that it's going to have to be dealt with sooner or later.

My conclusion for dealing with baggage is much less scientific than any of my previous conclusions regarding AHV, but I think it's still equally important. So here it is.

If you had the opportunity to travel to your dream destination with your dream travel partner, the place that you have always wanted to go, the one location in the world that would make you feel fulfilled, happy and complete for the rest of your life, would you really give a shit about the baggage? Would you care if it got stolen at the airport, would you stress if it fell out of the plane and landed in the Pacific Ocean, would you even really care if it made it to your destination? It wouldn't matter if your baggage blew up, it wouldn't matter if you never saw it again, it wouldn't matter if you had to lug that crap from Venice to Beijing. Nothing would matter if you were with the person you were meant to be with, going to the place you were meant to be going.

So... chill the F out, everybody. Deal with your baggage, decide if you want to carry it on, check it, or forget it. Accept this decision, and accept others who are dealing with their own baggage.

Happy travels.