What are you taking?

It was while I was talking to a friend 

about the purchase of my new backpack 

that the question came into focus for me.

What do you need?

Another way of looking at the whole process is

 “what can I let go of?"

I want to keep the weight of my ‘possessions’ 

to 20 lbs or less:

that's clothing 

(for climates ranging from snow in the elevations
to heat on the meseta, 

with rain and hail a possibility in all areas), 

medical supplies, 

personal items 

and
any technology I plan to use 

for a 6-7 week pilgrimage!

I have several check lists, compiled by other pilgrims, 

that I’m using as a guide – 

some calculated down to the ounce. 

(Trust me; I am neither that OCD nor that good with numbers!)

Boiled down to essentials,  

that amounts to -
a sleeping bag, 

two changes of clothes (multiple layers), 

extra shoes/sandals, 

no luxuries 

and, basically, 

a chamois for drying off after showers.

I’m keeping personal hygiene items to a minimum.

I’m old; 

I’m not trolling for a partner 

and it’s Spain, for Pete’s sake, 

not the sub-Saharan desert; 

they have grocery stores (mercados) 

and pharmacies (farmacias) along the route.

If I need something, I’ll buy it.

I have no ‘brand loyalty’ so strong that I have to carry
specific products from home.

Frankly though, it’s all more than a little daunting.

I accept that any pilgrimage is 40% walking and 60% metaphor.

Part of the packing ‘exercise’,
especially as I go into this new phase of my life (retirement), 

is figuring out what I actually need –
not what I want, 

or have accumulated 

or have been given 

or have inherited;  

it’s not even someone else’s idea of what to pack. 

I do know it’s not the tchotchkes, jewelry
and assorted accoutrements 

I usually pack for trips; 

it’s definitely not 
all the souvenirs, pamphlets, new jewelry and books 

I usually bring back!

I’ve got a handle on what it isn’t; 

I’m working on figuring out the rest.

That’s progress, right?