“What Do I Really Need for 24 Hours?”

How I Turned a Slip-Up into Adventure

An hour into my three-hour drive to West Virginia for two days of work, my husband sent a text with a picture of my luggage by the front door. Oh nuts! I didn’t have time to turn back, retrieve it, and get to my appointments on time. 

I mentally ran through my options. Turning back was not one of them. My husband offered to meet me somewhere, that was sweet but not convenient for either of us. I could return home at the end of my workday at 11:00 p.m., then get up the next morning before sunrise for another three-hour drive. Or I could buy the overnight necessities and make it through the next twenty-four hours. Since I am an adult with a credit card, I opted to buy the basics and wear the same clothes the following day, or perhaps, buy a new outfit.

Mastering Last-Minute Shopping

I had one hour to spare in the afternoon. I used it to peruse Macy’s, Dick’s, Kohl’s, and Walmart. I am a fast and focused shopper, and partially successful at Dick’s and Walmart. My short list included a pair of sneakers, an outfit for my morning walk, a sweater, undies, socks, and toiletries. Before this opportunity presented itself, I planned to purchase a pair of tennis shoes to keep in my car for walks at my destination after long car drives. I needed a new pair of yoga pants, and I shopped previously without success for a black sweater to go with the pants I was wearing. The shopping excursion was justified.

Leaving my luggage behind wasn’t all that bad, until I couldn’t find a pair of shoes that I liked under $130, a black sweater, or yoga pants within the time allotted in Huntington, West Virginia. 

I decided to get the basic toiletries and forget the rest. I’m low maintenance, and I was staying at a hotel that provided shampoo, conditioner, and body wash. 

Embrace Simplicity

I learned the next day that I needed much more than hotel quality products for my curly coif. Every strand lay semi flat with a slight kink, my center part exposed grey roots, and my front and back cowlicks formed capital Cs. The best solution was to avoid mirrors all day.

Prior to this situation, my headspace was focused on “the basics” since we were planning for two Thanksgiving feasts, one that would occur two weeks ahead of the actual date and the other on the calendar date. It’s just that way when family is spread out and commitments are many. We still planned for the full Thanksgiving smorgasbord on both days. I was willing to do the work; I just wasn’t sure if I was able.

I considered, “What are the basics of the T-Day dinner?” I made that list and so my mind was already in a “basic” thought space when the luggage left behind allowed me to keep thinking about the bare necessities and embrace an opportunity to simplify.

However, I realized that my double Thanksgiving lists and overnight essentials were a little off. I had too much food at one meal, not enough at another, my hair requires more than I imagined, and I just wasted time shopping for clothes I really didn’t need. 

My “basic” mindset overflowed into Christmas planning. What are the basics for a joyful Christmas? Fewer decorations? Less shopping? Baking fewer cookies? But those aren’t what really make my holiday joyful. It’s being with my family. If I could have only one aspect of the holidays, it’s time in the physical presence of my children and their families. My children shared the best part of the holidays is my cooking. That works for me. I will happily create nourishing meals and sweet treats all day long and willingly eliminate shopping and extensive decorations. Our plans for this year include spending time doing something for those in need, a coffee gift exchange, and white elephant to get rid of something we already have. 

We will be together, not all together on the calendar date of Christmas, but the Tuesday before, between 5:00pm – bedtime. And basically, that’s fine with me.