So, sooo many times I packed really quick, never caring if I forgot something. A great friend told me once: “it will be an opportunity to get…. new pants, a toothbrush, socks, band-aids” you get my point. But packing now, COVID times which means little production support, (oh how we can feel their absence now) a week after the blizzard in Texas required concentration: forgetting something might become a problem. Don’t get me wrong I’m so excited to work again. I just talk about new necessities when we travel… Companies are struggling, I miss production teams and the many smiley faces we got so used to, without necessarily knowing how many aspects of our life they were solving. Simple things like water. I miss them, above all, I hope they have an income and are doing ok.

Things I never packed before: hand sanitizer, alcohol spray, a collection of masks: disposable, comfortable to work with, elegant, informal, visors, thermometer, paracetamol. Dry cleaning and washing might be an issue, so pack enough clothes for 15 days. We are in “Zoom” times, so gadgets feast: computer, chargers, batteries, headset, iPad, iPad pencil, USBs and all the cables that match everything. Desk necessities as business centers mostly remain closed, and I do not want to touch anonymous desk clip. Coffee! I passed from downtown Austin to downtown Houston. I don’t have a car, I don’t want a car. Walking I found so many stores and markets closed. New and very restrictive schedules. 24/7 corner stores and restaurants are basically gone for now, few can afford that, and I get it. I just need to remember it. Tim O’Brien reminds us that we carried things largely determined by necessity. And when towns feel ghostly or empty, and buying a band-aid can become a battle, we suddenly start carrying more things. So. I’m thankful that my suitcases expand, and that the wheels carry the weight.

Passport, cell phone, wallet, and comfortable shoes, it was my only checklist when I travel before.
But now, life feels like war.