Tuesday, December 28, 2010

La Valija Itinerante - old philosophy, new meaning

Since I was a child, I heard my dad talking about having "la valija itinerante" meaning "a traveling bag". He always talked to me about not getting attached to things and to only have the things that I could fit in a traveling bag. When I moved to the USA, I did come with JUST a traveling bag and I left all my other possessions behind. That was the first time I had to decide what I would bring with me and what would be left behind. Giving most of my possessions away was a great experience and knowing that I was following my heart made leaving everything behind so much easier.

Now, I look back, and I see I have accumulated so many possessions and once again I feel tied down and just heavy. I feel that if I wanted to go back home, I would have to leave everything behind once again and shows me how I moved from heart to possessions. Many times, we buy things to make us happy or to replace the love or passion we don't feel in our lives. We numb ourselves with things and buy into materialism and who has the bigger stick or the newest piece of technology. Don't get me wrong, I love my iPhone and my laptop, but at the same time, I notice that many times I have replaced real feelings with things. The same happens to people who eat to fill the void or emptiness in their lives. When I moved to this country, I was lonely and I filled my loneliness with things but now that I am stronger and have settled in, I remember the words my dad told me since I was little "la valija itinerante" or the traveling bag. Is it possible to live detached from material things and with only things you can fit in one traveling bag? I believe it is. I did it before and I can do it again.

Blessings )0(

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