I packed my beaded boho Free People peasant top and downtown style pants to tour the Camden Market area and planned a more sophisticated styling for my morning in Covent Garden. Packing for any trip entails planning for the specific details of that trip. For example, is this a beach vacation, a sporty adventure, or am I planning a business trip? Could the weather be rainy or chilly? I consider myself a good and practical packer. I try to pack only what I or my family might need. I start with the weather report and the purpose of the trip. Next, I write out a pack list. I am usually packed a few weeks before a planned trip.
What seems natural to me, does not necessarily come easy for someone else. Take for instance my friend Lena.* Lena will be going to the Czech Republic in a week or so. Lena struggles with packing. So much so, that she usually doesn't sleep the night before any trip because she is still doing laundry and packing. She shops, she packs, she unpacks, and then packs again. What shoes or handbags will she bring? She keeps changing her mind. She packs way too much in the hope that she can pack for every eventuality. This is all very disruptive to her life in the weeks before any trip as she tries to coordinate this with her demanding job as an architect in Westchester County, N.Y. In this case, Lena even realizes that she has failed to prepare for her business meetings in a way that she would have liked to.
In the hopes of changing her habits she called me several weeks ago and asked me if I would come over and give her some guidance in this process. I was happy to be of some assistance. As a Christian, my concept of packing is closely related to the understanding that God has made us in His image and likeness. Because of that, we are by our creation, imbued with inherent dignity for who we are and not because of our clothing or any outward attribute. This understanding is a foundation to me in a world so quick to judge us based on how we look.
Part of Lena's problem stems from her concern that she must have a perfect appearance. She places a huge value on her personal appearance and she is convinced that others do as well. One of the biggest impediments to personal growth is the mistaken notion that everyone feels the way we do about everything. For example, a person who cheats on their school exam will often tell you, "everyone does it." This statement is simply not true!
Lena was somewhat curious why I did not stress out over packing for my trip and downright amazed that I had not just packed for myself, but for my husband too. She thought everyone stressed out about such things! The day we arranged our get-together, Lena prepared a delicious lunch for me, consisting of a large salad, butternut squash and a spinach quiche. After lunch, I was anxious to sit down and talk to her about her upcoming trip. I know that she was planning to travel with her co-worker Elizabeth.* Lena had a history of barely making flights and annoying both friends and family in the process.
Her two and a half week trip to Eastern Europe would mostly consist of intense business meetings starting early and ending late, dinners, a concert and some sight-seeing. My rule of thumb is if I am traveling for a month, I will need two weeks worth of clothing. Traveling two weeks usually just a weeks worth of clothing will do. I pack a little laundry soap and do one wash load, and I am set. I told her to decide on a color scheme and to accessorize with scarves and belts. One business shoe, one athletic shoe and an evening shoe. Pack slipper socks to lounge around in. That takes up no space.
A golden rule for travel is choosing things which can serve multiple purposes. For example, I have a purse which is appropriate as a day bag but when evening comes simply take off the shoulder strap and it transforms into an evening clutch. I also brought my reversible canvas Valentino tote. One side is simple canvas and the other is canvas with pink lace adornment. This is a great casual bag for sightseeing, and shopping but yet it has a little more sophistication in its' styling. My color scheme was gray, off-white and blue. I add a necklace and a cloisonné bracelet which matches every outfit. Everything that I bring can be mixed and matched so it doesn't look like I am wearing the same outfit all the time. A few multi-colored tank tops, in the above color scheme, and we are set.
When Lena begins to try on her clothing and we begin to go through her collection of handbags, we quickly find all the right items that she needs to pack for her trip. The attire looked lovely on her and was appropriate for the trip that she was planning. Lena has great taste in clothing. We create a pile of clothing to pack in no time! However, as we dig into the job of packing, I sense we hit a sensitive spot in Lena's life. She is an intelligent and well-accomplished woman. Why does she need me to help her make some simple clothing decisions? Beneath Lena's slick veneer lies a woman unsure of her own worth. Is she skinny enough? Is she pretty enough?
Many women struggle their whole life with feelings of low-esteem. They can never hear a compliment. Sometimes, like Lena, they drive everyone around them crazy because they have failed to come to terms with a core issue of their existence, which is, who are we and where does our worth come from? The Bible has a lot of guidance about what's really important. Here are a few verses of wisdom to help us along.
1 Peter 3:3-4 : Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of the inner self, the unfailing beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight.
1 Samuel 16:7 : But the Lord said to Samuel,"Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."
These two verses point out that who we are is much more important than what we look like. There is nothing wrong with dressing up and looking good, but let's make sure to put that into perspective. God places a higher value on the development of our character than anything else. Others around us may judge us by the wrong standards but we can rise above that and understand what really matters, and that is, your heart. God bless you.
*names are changed.
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