75 lbs

No one really knows how much stuff they have until they rent a moving truck. I've helped a lot of people move from one house to another, and quite a few of them got half-way through their living room when they realized, they were going to need a bigger truck. I imagine every UHAUL break room across the USA has an inspirational poster that reads, "The first truck they rent pays the bills. The second one is all profit."

Not our first rodeo

This ain't even our first rodeo. Still, as we packed for our relocation to Frankfurt, Germany I was shocked at how quickly my stuff added up to 75 lbs. No matter how many times I go through the process, I inevitably have to choose between the necessary and the desirous. A third pair of jeans... in. 80's-hair band costume... sadly, out. It was a tougher call than you'd think.

Accumulation is the normal pattern of life. We pick up stuff we don't need. We keep it absentmindedly. For a moment, it's fun to have around. Novelty does have its charms. But, eventually, some lady behind a ticket counter tells you your bag is a pound over. That's the moment you realize the real cost of superfluous collecting. Is a spandex muscle shirt really worth $150 oversize fee? And, perhaps more importantly, do I really want to be dealing with this in front of 300 impatient, pre-checked co-travelers 45-minutes before boarding?

Thus, a life on the move teaches us how to let go of past momentos as readily as it shows us how to embrace new ones. It is better to divest before you embark.

The Gospel According to Jon... Foreman

I've never done an official count but this is precisely the sort of metaphor SwitchFoot's Jon Foreman croons three or four times per album. Perhaps my favorite of his takes on this lyrical theme is from 2016's Where the Light Shines Through. In "If the House Burns Down Tonight, Foreman sings, "Ashes from the flames. The truth is what remains. The truth is what you save from the fire. And you fight for what you love, don't matter if it hurts. You find out what it's worth and you let the rest burn." Or, as his poetic forerunner, Job laid it out, "I came naked from my mother's womb, and I will be naked when I leave. The LORD gave me what I had, and the LORD has taken it away. Praise the name of the LORD! (Job 1:21 NLT)."

Whatever new adventure we find ourselves headed into, we'll all go carrying less than we currently have. And, when we take our ultimate journey, we'll, as Hamlet observed, "shuffle off this mortal coil"and be left with nothing but our faith, hope & love (1 Cor. 13:13). So, whatever else we have stuffed in our metaphorical valise, these virtues should fill the lion's share of space.

As for the actual valise, now that we're here I have to admit I've run into fewer opportunities than expected to port my zebra stripes. I have, however, picked up a pair of lederhosen that will doubtless make the cut next time.