Packing for your Journey.

Journey - (n) 1. a traveling from one place to another, usually taking a rather long time; trip: 2. a distance, course, or area traveled or suitable for traveling; 3. a period of travel; 4. passage or progress from one stage to another; (v) 5. to make a journey; to travel

When planning for a journey, packing the essential items is of the utmost importance. You can only carry so much, and for the circumstances and situations you may encounter, you're not going to want to be left in a pinch without the necessary tools to get you through. So whatever your journey, whether personal or physical, whether you're backpacking across Europe, playing soccer in Brazil, volunteering in India, going on walkabout across Australia, taking a road trip around the Rocky Mountains, hiking the Scottish Highlands, teaching English in a foreign country, or something else entirely, the following is a list of the indispensable items to pack. But first, it's important to note the items better left out of the proverbial suitcase (or backpack), for if we accidentally fill our luggage with non-essentials, we won't have any room for the crucial items.

First, leave at home (or discard completely) any and all prejudices, and closed-mindedness in general, for the world is a vast place filled with people living and living well, and while perhaps different than the way you are accustomed to defining how to live, this does not mean their way of life is invalid, or ineffective.

Leave behind the idea that you have nothing left to learn. You will always be wrong if you actually believe this.

Leave behind the idea that communication is simply the statement of words that have been given associations, the black-and-white idea that 'this word always means this one thing'. For you will find that effective communication is much more complex. It takes time, understanding, listening, redefining words according to how the person who is speaking them means them, etc. Instead, aim to convey concepts and ideas successfully, the images and thoughts beyond the words, rather than simply the words themselves.

Leave behind pride and arrogance, for they are never helpful other than to assist in your isolation from others.

Leave behind vanity, a weight you'll soon regret bearing as you tramp from place to place, recognizing that there are more worthwhile things with which to concern oneself.

Leave behind cynicism, for the world is not so bleak as you think. And yet, while in some ways it will be bleaker than you imagined, no change will occur if your attitude already forces you to sit in darkness.

Leave behind a need to live a completely predictable life, or any firm grip upon schedules. Other people and cultures will operate within different rhythms than you're used to, and even if you get exactly what you asked for in an experience, a journey guarantees it won't be exactly as you expected.

Finally, leave room in your life for change, for growth, and to bring back home with you new perspectives, new vision, perhaps even some new aspects of who you are.

Now that we've cleared out unnecessary items, in my humble experience, these following things are absolutely essential when embarking upon a journey of any kind.

Bring with you open-mindedness. Be open to the potential for change and growth to occur, for your horizons to be broadened, to giving someone else the space to exist, recognizing that you are both alive, in your different ways, and it is good that you are both alive and bring something new to the table. Wisdom is found all over, and every moment has something worthwhile to teach, if you are listening.

Bring with you an interest in other people, in the strange, in the 'other', for you never know when you might have encountered a future friend. Be prepared for their arrival in your existence with questions to help you get to know them, good travel games, icebreakers, and an ability to listen, both to what people do say, and what they don't say.

Bring with you a spirit of adventure. Be open to seeing those inconveniences you're certain to encounter as yet another opportunity for an adventure.

Bring with you a sturdy pair of walking shoes. The best way to see a place, a country, etc, is by walking, and oh the blisters you will acquire. But think of the places your feet will have taken you, the growth you will incur, represented by the tough skin developing upon the soles of your feet, evidence that you can persevere, develop strength, and survive.

Bring with you a journal, something to write upon. You'll want to remember the details, great and small, of such a journey. They'll be priceless to reflect upon in the years to come.

Bring with you faith:
In people,
In a higher power and the realization that your needs will be provided for,
In a sense of order in this world,
In the potential for growth, change, beauty, majesty, honor, nobility - life will always surprise you.
You'll need to trust people, and I guarantee you won't be able to go your entire trip without relying on someone. Generally, people are willing to help, trying to do their best, and they're absolutely the best source from which to learn new things.

Bring with you a keen perceptive sense. Notice everything. For safety. For comparison. For interest. For knowledge. For wisdom.

Finally, bring with you a search for truth. Don't stop searching just because you think you've found part of it. "And therefore as a stranger give it welcome. There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy." -Hamlet