I walked many blocks of the city. I descended and ascended many flights of stairs. I covered a lot of ground in a short time. It was a full day of exploring one of my favorite cities. I retraced familiar steps and explored new places. I relaxed. At the end of the day, I was exhausted and rejuvenated.

The following day invited more exploring, but it was a shorter day. I’d relocate to another part of the city mid-afternoon, so I needed to keep my backpack as I walked. It was all I’d packed for the five-day trip, and I was glad. I didn’t overpack, and I didn’t overdo my walking plans for the half-day. I took a fraction of the steps I’d taken the day before. I climbed a small percentage of the stairs I’d climbed the day before. Maybe it was partly because of the amount of walking I’d done the day before, but I was reminded of something:

It’s much easier to explore while you’re not carrying all your baggage.

We can’t leave it all behind. We need some things along our journey. But we don’t need it all. The weight of it all is too much. We sweat and stumble under the burden. We lose some potential experience, displaced by the effort to stand up and push forward.

The prior day I carried the essentials—ID, money, phone, charger. I didn’t purchase anything besides a snack and drinks, because I didn’t want to carry anything unnecessarily. I had the luxury of choosing a lighter load. The following day required my backpack. It held only the essentials but for the whole trip, not a half-day jaunt. It was a heavy essential. It was temporary. It was limiting, but I could take it off and set it aside when needed.

Different trips, different days require different baggage. Some days feel burdensome and some feel carefree. We sometimes feel prepared and other times overwhelmed. We sometimes overpack and sometimes underpack. We don’t realize what we need until we miss it. We don’t realize how much we’ve kept packed in the corners until we empty it.

We need to pay attention to what we carry, what we pack, what we plan, and what we leave behind. Because there are limits—both minimum and maximum. Whatever your day involves, find the balance. Prepare the essentials. Be flexible with the nonessentials. Carry what you need, then pace yourself and persevere into the journey of today.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download