
"Suitcase of Cotton" by J E Theriot
I am entering a very exciting phase in my life. I feel like I have the perfect balance – I am old enough to have begun to know what it is I truly want and value, yet I am young enough that the entire world is still new to me.
In about a year, I will be moving overseas – to the other side of the world, in fact. This is not a short holiday or contiki-style tour, but a real shift. An adventure. A resettlement. A chance to wash away my old life, but also to test myself and my values in a new environment. I am nervous, excited, scared… one minute full of confidence and the next seeking advice from everyone I possibly can.
The biggest change this has so far wrought is that I am now completely re-thinking all of my possessions. Everything in my house is now subject to a stringent test of its value – both objectively and emotionally. I will need to discard, sell or put into storage at least 90% of my belongings.
Now, as I look around my bedroom, everything looks slightly different. Do I really need all of those photo frames? What about that box of extension cords, old phone chargers and double adaptors? Or the shoebox of half-used acrylic paints? And how on earth did I ever gather so many cosmetics?! Once I started viewing my life through the lens of my suitcase, I really began understanding how few of my possessions really matter, and how much time and money I have spent accumulating all of these things.

"Essentials" by Wen Zeng
I am excited about the move not only because it will be an exciting adventure, but because it is a chance to properly review my life and what is important in it. To purge my house of unnecessary bits and pieces, accumulating around me over so many years. When I land in my new home country, I expect to have refined my life down to a couple of suitcases. The real things, the important things. The essential ‘me.’
#relationships
#mind