island diary: the day before leaving, little things, what if we already + 11 rules of being human

it's the day before leaving. 
the day of figuring out what to take and what not to forget, from ticket to camera cable to pocket diary... all those little things that belong to our days. so many. and at the same time, when you put them all together: the things we need for 2 weeks fit into a suitcase, and some additional things go into carry-on luggage: books + ebook, jogging things, and the in-case-the-suitcase-gets-lost stuff...

a collage of little things
here's a collage of little things, from packing. well, it's more a collage of little things that point at larger things: the map for an island, the weather forecast for the sky, the diary for the days to come, the headphones for the music to listen to, the minibag - which is a gift from my sister, brought from India, and travelling with me since - a symbol for journeys and writing. and the pretty lizard: the newest little thing in the collage, brought from a friend from Ibiza. it's actually a book sign.



every time i pack, i have this thought to get rid of half the things that collected over time when i get back. but there seems to be this equation that once you are back, the everyday takes over.

living lighter 
somewhere i recently read those words: travel lighter - with a connection to light heartedness. can't remember the article or blog. but light heartedness, it's the same image and word in German: Leichtherzigkeit.

it would be nice to be able to push a button now and be right there, in Mallorca, on the terrace of the place that is waiting.

it's just a day away now. and revisiting the blog entries of the previous stay, i just arrived at this island thought:

**

 

an island thought

"And what if we already had
all it takes
for a beautiful life?"

this quote, i noted it down while in Lanzarote island and came across it yesterday again. and the photo: that is from the island time in Mallorca, last year. still waiting to be put online. all the things we have already, the thoughts we reached, the quotes we noted, just to forget about them again.

*

little things and airplanes
following this chain of thought, here's a video clip of a short talk by Pema Chodron, who talks about airplanes and meditation and little things. so now i know what i will try tomorrow in the plane.

  *

**

and finally, in a different kind of preparation to the stay, beyond packing bags... another revisit of a post:

Saturday, December 29, 2012 
11 rules of being a human being 



today, i came across this thoughtful list from the Rejuvenation Lounge. and as i sooner or later will forget about all this, i thought, i post it here, so i can remember whenever i want.


11 Rules For Being A Human Being:

Rule 1: You will receive a body.
You may like it or hate it, but it will be yours for the entire period this time around

Rule 2: You will learn lessons.
You are enrolled in a full-time informal school called life. Each day in this school you will have the opportunity to learn lessons. You may like the lessons or think them irrelevant or stupid.

Rule 3: There are no mistakes, only lessons.
Growth is a process of trial and error: experimentation. The “failed” experiments are as much a part of the process as the experiment that ultimately “works”.

Rule 4: A lesson is repeated until learned.
A lesson will be presented to you in various forms until you have learned it. When you have learned it, you can then go on to the next lesson.

Rule 5: Learning lessons does not end.
There is no part of Life that does not contain its lessons. If you are alive, there are lessons to be learned.

Rule 6: “There” is no better than “here”.
When your “there” has become a “here”, you will simply obtain another “there” that will again look better than “here”.

Rule 7: Others are merely mirrors of you.
You cannot love or hate something about another person unless it reflects something you love or hate about yourself.

Rule 8: What you make of your life is up to you.
You have the tools and resources you need. What you do with them is up to you. The choice is yours.

Rule 9: Your answers lie inside you.
The answers to life’s questions lie inside you. All you need to do is look, listen and trust.

Rule 10: You will forget all this.

Rule 11: You can remember whenever you want.

**

island blog posts :
the next blog post will (hopefully) be from the island.
for all (pre-)island diary entries, go to: life as a journey with an island diary