Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Random items from my Timbuk2 Bag


Two things that I carry with me in all my travels...

1. A rock Cooper gave me
2. The service card from my Grandma's funeral

Contrasting items, one representing the end of the journey and the other showing discovery of a new adventurous life just getting underway.

I found the service card in my suit pocket one day on my way to a job interview. My Grandma traveled the world over, so I thought it would be great to keep her travel wisdom with me as I navigate the airports of the world.

The rock just helps me remember the only really important thing I have to do is get back home safely.

2 comments:

Jennifer B. said...

Great post, Joel. Will likely be thought-provoking for some of your readers.
I'll share mine with you:
1. When my grandpa died a few years ago, he had 5 single bills in his wallet. My grandma gave one to each of us 5 grandkids and I have kept that bill with me in whatever purse I'm carrying at the time. He was funny and kind and a brilliant self-taught carpenter and the best grandpa anyone could wish for; he was the super star of our family and nothing's been the same since he died.
2. On 11/26/05 my brother mailed me a post card from his Mediterranean cruise and for some reason I used it as a bookmark in the book I was reading the day I received it. Ever since then, it is my bookmark for whatever book I'm reading and I always take it with me when I fly on an airplane. I consider it a good luck charm, I suppose. My bro, who lives in Houston, and I are very close and I enjoy having a piece of him near me each day. Its corners are getting a little tattered, much like your grandma's service program.

joel.white said...

Very cool JB. It's strange how even though life moves on after losing a loved one, it's different going forward.

The rock is a funny story, Cooper lives rocks so I felt pretty honored when he presented it to me. I put it in my bag to take home and didn't think much about it until a month later when it fell out one night in my hotel room. Since then I keep a close eye on it and make sure it stays safe.