Baggage

This is my carry-on suitcase. Anna and I bought it at the cheap luggage store across from the train station in Nice a day or two before we left France. The one we bought for Anna is way cuter, mine was meant to work for Justin as well, so it needed to be neutral.

Last Friday, I filled it up. I was headed to the InterVarsity Women's Conference in Milwaukee.

I've started running, and needed to run two miles Saturday morning to keep on track with my program, so I had my running gear. I packed wool socks in case the hotel room was cold, a pair of comfortable, low-heeled boots for walking in Milwaukee during free time on Saturday afternoon, and all the other necessities of life for two nights away from home.

Before leaving, I logged onto my public library account to renew my book. It was due to be turned in Saturday, and I hate how the library refers to me as a delinquent user when I'm late (which is often). 

Here's the book...

It's a challenging book, and I highly recommend it, by the way.

In any case, the library said no to my renew request because there are holds on it (it was released recently and the author was interviewed on NPR, which is where I heard of it), so I grabbed the book on the way out the door and dropped it off.

Two and a half hours later, I arrived in Merrillville at Starbucks, where I was to meet friends to carpool the remaining drive. I was on schedule and collected my things from the car, looking forward to my chai tea latté. 

Only, the carry-on wasn't there. I checked twice, and with a sinking feeling, realized that my bag never made it to the car.

I picked up my backpack and purse, tried to problem solve, and headed into the Starbucks. Halfway across the parking lot, I turned back to the car. I really couldn't believe that I had left it behind. I unlocked the car and hunted again, apparently believing that it was more likely that the suitcase had shrunken to the size of a laptop and slid under a seat than that I had forgotten it. 

Needless to say, it hadn't magically reappeared. Shocking, I know.

My friends arrived just after I got my chai tea latté, and they enthusiastically planned  a quick shopping trip. They whisked me over to Kohl's, and we located the necessities. I found a pair of jeans that fit, and they proposed a couple shirts that I would have never noticed my own, but that I really like.  

There could be a deeper meaning in all of this--my bag was filled with my Goodwill, garage sale, hand-me-down clothes and was replaced with cute new stuff (though the things in my bag were cute too--this was a women's conference after all, and these things do matter).

Or something about how I had done my best to prepare and pack nice shirts, but there were better, brighter shirts out there for me...

Or that I would be better off continuing in my habit of collecting late fees at the library. I am pretty sure as I think about it that this is all the library's fault. Or maybe the dog's since I always feel bad when I leave walk her to our room and put up the baby gate.

Or some life lesson about double-checking that I have everything before getting in the car (Scott suggested putting everything in front of the door before leaving) . 

Milwaukee was fantastic. It was slightly embarrassing to walk in holding my clothes and toiletries in a shopping bag, but only slightly.

By the way, I had no idea that Milwaukee was such a beautiful city. There is some stunning architecture.

Here are some of my Indiana InterVarsity friends on our way to lunch on Saturday. 

I came away from the conference deeply encouraged and happy. I am so pleased to still be a part of the InterVarsity family after all of these years. I was a student twenty-eight years ago, and have been on staff, a volunteer, and spouse wife off and on during our time overseas. 

Oh, and I almost always unpack immediately when I return home. But I haven't unpacked the carry-on. Yet.