I had a really intense dream last night. Conor and I were in Germany and there was probably a couple of inches of snow on the ground. For whatever reason we were being evacuated and could only bring a backpack of things we owned. Spare clothing took up the most of the pack (a change of clothes and undies) and then I had to decide what to fill the rest of the space with. I decided on my laptop and our external hard drive of all our photos and I think I brought a journal. I slung our camera bag and video camera bag over my shoulder. And then I realized that I couldn’t bring my big box of journals which document the last seven years of my life almost daily. There were all these things I had to leave behind not knowing if I could get them back, the most important to me being my journals. Do I take a couple of my most recent books or the ones that tell of Conor and my dating experience and early marriage? In the end, the box wasn’t accessible in the amount of time we had because it’s underneath our bed in the middle and our bed needs to be taken apart a bit to get at ‘em (true story).
When I woke in the middle of the night for my usual bathroom break, I thought about what I would take with me in such a case. My pearl necklace, wedding ring, watch… And found myself only saddened by the thought of leaving behind all my worldly possessions although to me, my journals aren’t quite worldly. My journals are so much more, a big part of me on pages and in words.
What would you take with you in case of emergency? What’s most valuable to you?
Oh, and I’m definitely doing 72-hour packs in the new year!
