Pack THIS

Packing for a trip east, I was certain my list would catch every single thing I wanted to bring. The list was a "Pack this!" invention that seemed to include absolutely everything anyone would need on a trip: medications, electronics, seasonal clothes, hair care items, etc.

Granted, I was packing late at night and I'm stupid late at night. But still, having a list like this should keep me from forgetting everything--especially if I woke up early the next morning. I had already sent shampoo, conditioner and gel to my son's house, so I was doing pretty well that way, at least.

It was only on takeoff I realized my Kindle was sitting at home on my coffee table. My medications were on the counter still as stones. Gum and decongestant I usually lose for ear pain when landing were also missing. Plus, I forgot a few gifts and now have to figure out how to get them to friends and family. So much for packing lists.

Luckily I was able to get an on-call doctor to send in my prescriptions when I landed, and pick them up just before Hurricane Henri barreled through New York and New England. Unluckily, the process wasn't as easy as I would have liked.

First, the doctor didn't seem to realize that a hurricane was coming at first, and said she'd send in the prescription "later." I tried to explain I needed the medications before the hurricane hit and she eventually agreed to send the prescriptions to a Long Island pharmacy in an hour--but that didn't happen. 

I called again and the doctor sounded tired and angry. I explained again that a storm was coming. She eventually sent in a prescription--this time for one instead of the two meds I needed. 

By the time I pleaded with her to send in the second prescription, she was in a terrible mood, but at least sent in the second prescription quickly so we could stop torturing each other. Meanwhile, it wasn't time to renew the prescriptions yet so I had to pay $50 apiece for them, which would have been $100 apiece if I hadn't paid $25 to join some sort of Walgreens club.

Forgetting the Kindle was less traumatic as I had a book to read on the way home. But how had the list tripped me up? Mostly by convincing me I could check things off while packing, instead of afterwards, to be sure I got everything. In future, nothing is getting checked until I see it go into said suitcase with my own eyeballs.

This whole situation made me realize it's been a while since I last traveled on a plane--a year and 8 months, to be exact. Before that I was going here or there at least a few times a year and knew my way around a suitcase. It's kind of sobering to think something I took completely for granted has become a big deal, and how easy it is to forget stuff that never would have gotten by me before.

Packing is traveling's most mundane task and at the same time it's the most crucial one. We are literally at the mercy of what we have with us if we don't want to have to go through stress like calling doctors and hunting for other stuff in stores when we'd rather be with loved ones. For someone who feels like she never has enough time to do anything, this is a cautionary tale.

Pack slowly. Pack methodically. Pack your medications FIRST because you could be flying toward a hurricane (I met up with TWO during the two weeks I was gone). 

Most of all--packing is boring. Stay awake.

Suitcases photo: oatsy40