Toronto-bound and travelling light on an escape from Caithness
Northern Drift by Monique Sliedrecht
I am writing this while eleven thousand feet in the air, flying over the Labrador Sea. In a few hours I will land in Toronto and continue on to my final destination: my parent’s home in Niagara.
I am only travelling with hand luggage, which required some advance planning, especially as I am going to a place with a considerably colder climate (-20 degrees Celcius, I am told by the woman sitting next to me! Gulp).
These conditions call for warmer layers, so I’ve packed pieces from my growing woollen collection: knitted socks from my Aunt Wendy, fingerless mittens from my friend Ailie, and wool leggings from another kind friend, Mary. The rest will have to be supplemented by my family on the other side of this vast ocean.
There are advantages to travelling light. With just a carry-on and rucksack it means I am in greater control and run less risk of losing my luggage on the way with a brief layover in London. Not to mention that it saves me the added fee of checking in a suitcase (£100 each way!).
There is a sense of ease in travelling light. But it doesn’t happen by packing at the last minute, when we are rushed. It requires deliberate effort in reducing, and then reducing some more, to the final point of taking only the bare necessities. It’s a very tough discipline.
For me, the packing process this time included bringing a lovely Scottish wool jumper, a gift for my father on his 80th birthday. And chocolate – I have to admit – enough to carry me through the 10 days I am in Canada, with plenty leftover for family. Perhaps I still have a lot to learn about truly travelling light!
But what does this concept mean at a deeper level as we head into 2025? Just the other day, I was thinking about so many things to sort out, tasks that I’ve been avoiding, like the most basic “note to self”: Clean up my room!
Research suggests that “clearing away clutter can help you make healthier choices, improve your relationships, and even boost your workout” (Blog: Immovable Mind). I guess the idea behind this is to start small, create order, and from the strong platform of a morale boost, take courage to confront larger challenges in life.
Of course, it’s one thing to give up the surplus material things, a sacrifice which can bring a sense of freedom into our lives; but it is another to release our worries, tossing them by the wayside, so we can bravely focus on the present day.
The song in the classic Disney film, The Jungle Book, sung by the characters Baloo the bear, and Mowgli the young boy comes to mind… “Look for the bare necessities / The simple bare necessities / Forget about your worries and your strife / I mean the bare necessities / That’s why a bear can rest at ease / With just the bare necessities of life.”
To travel lightly and with ease might mean emptying old drawers full of anger and sorting out neglected cupboards overflowing with worry, for such emotional clutter can lead to deep-rooted bitterness and crippling fear.
Our inner chaos can drain us of precious energy. Harmful habits can become weights around our necks, bearing down on us and taking the place of what could be – a life of perspective and grace. So why not clear the way for better things?
At Christmas-time, people often send wishes of peace and joy to others. In this month of Valentine greetings, let’s do what it takes to step forward, unencumbered, and go further than cards or flowers and express the message of love in all our actions.
I smile as I envisage my father and mother waiting for me at the arrivals hall in Toronto Airport. Once I make my way through passport control and the baggage claim area I will walk out the door and onto the exit ramp, see their beaming faces as they come towards me, embrace warmly… Dad will lighten my load by offering to take my carry-on and we will walk out the door into the fresh Canadian winter air.
• Monique Sliedrecht is an artist and blogger based at Freswick. Visit her blog at www.moniquesliedrecht.com
Read more from Monique: From new beginnings… Time to let go and embrace
