it's in the bag

Growing up I spent a lot of time with my grandmother and close-knit extended family in Chicago.  I always packed too much stuff.  Grannie would chide, "I have a washing machine."  "We know you're traveling."  "We have stores here if you need such things as toothpaste."  "You don't need to pack so much."  Thanks in part to her ... coaching, shall we say, over time I was able to pare down my luggage to one carry-on suitcase for a two-week visit.

This tendency to pack a bunch of stuff spilled over into the bag/purse/backpack I'd carry every day.  From the time I was a wee lass I loved to carry purses, filled with such essentials as lip gloss and little pads of paper and sweet-smelling ink pens.  In college I'd always have the piano repertoire I'd been assigned for the semester photocopied and spiral bound into one easy-to-carry edition in case I had a few minutes to get into the practice room, along with my calendar, cell phone, the requisite lip gloss, and all the materials I'd need for class.

The trend has continued into the present day, when I always have a diaper bag with me as well as something in which to lug all my mama stuff (ID, cell phone, camera for those spontaneous moments, lip gloss, iPod... you get the idea.) and my mobile apothecary of homeopathic remedies for sneezes and sniffles; teething; bonks and bruises; and motion sickness.  Since I usually sling my eight month old daughter when my bambini and I are out somewhere, I try to not to load myself down like a pack mule with a heavy purse or bag.

Try as I might, though, I end up with a tote bag filled with who knows what -- baby shoes, my calendar, one (or four) books that I just might have a minute to skim, maybe something chocolate... before long, I can barely lift the thing.

What would Grannie say about this?  If memory serves, her purse is pretty well-stocked.   But she's pretty discriminating as to what constitutes something essential, and I think she limits herself to purses that don't lend themselves to taking on more than they should...