The Bag

Last week, I sent my 16 year old to Peru for 12 days on a mission trip.  The missionaries were asked to bring clothes and home goods for the families they would helping while there.  We gathered a number of things for her to take to with her, then the question, what bag should they go in, because that bag would have to stay.  (With their in-country travel, only one bag was allowed, so that one would be a leave behind.)  The only one that made sense is a bag that has been in my life for years. 

Yes, its an old duffel bag looking thing I received from my then boyfriend.  Because I was a college athlete, that bag was packed, unpacked and repacked many times, even in a week.  Imagine what that bag saw and did in my four years as a college athlete?  The miles, the wins, the losses (although not many of those) the pep talks the @#$ chewings from my coaches and all the fun.  The hours it spent on a cold bus, a smelly locker room and shoved in the bottom of my closet waiting for its next call to action can never be calculated. 

Then I settled into my career life and it made many a road trips then too.  A weekend adventure to see friends in Bismarck, a fishing tournament (where I don’t recall ever dropping a line in the water) with girlfriends and a spontaneous trip to Winnipeg or two just to name a few.  Suffice it to say, that bag has done me well over the years. 

Now, the bag is on a new adventure.  It will have a new home, a new owner and based on its still amazingly good condition, it just might help someone else make new memories.  It might be used for work, for play, for sports, for storage…who knows!  The joke, when my daughter left, was that I might miss the bag more than her.  That is certainly not the case!  I did, however, feel that after over 20 years, is deserved a special send off. 

Like everything in life, time comes to make changes and it was time for this happen and it was all for a good reason.  To whomever is the recipient of this small part of my life, enjoy it, because I know I sure did!  With a new bag and praying for my daughters safe return, I keep going! 

Everything That is Old...

Is either new again, or coming back! 

Last week, while at the theatre (I had to see Captain America Civil War on the big screen!)  I saw a number of movie promotions for the summer.  Most of them were either promoting old movies that are coming back for the second time, sequels to movies from 20 years ago or remakes of 20 year old movies.  Is this because we have become nostalgic or is it that we have lost our ability to be creative?

Then I realized, this is happening in travel!!!  Free entertainment?  Snacks on board?  Friendly service is seen as a key differentiator?   Carriers really looking at what the other is doing and trying outdo them for the sake of the customer and the sake of their livelihood! 

Will this make the global population LOVE travel again?  Will travel be seen as luxurious as it once was?  Will business travelers look forward to their next venture to their customer site?  Only time will tell. 

Using the old movie movement as a jumping point, I would like to say that maybe we will be Back to the Future after all.  Keep going folks, its better than the alternative.