At some point in your life, you may have put on your favorite striped outfit and asked a quintessential question: “Does this dress make me look fat?” The question beneath the question is, “Do I look ugly, self-indulgent, or weak? Am I giving off vibes of a woman who is splitting apart at the seams?”

The need for approval is human, but it’s not helpful. It’s baggage.

We all know what weighs us down. Fear, guilt, envy, ego, perfectionism (to name a few). Other burdens aren’t easily defined. Insecurity, unrealistic goals, brutal self-criticism. Happiness may be elusive. We may feel dissatisfied, that our best is never good enough. 

Through love and mercy, we willingly shoulder other people’s burdens. Sometimes we must lighten the load or we’ll go under. Our baggage may be steeped in denial. We may wear that striped dress even though it’s so tight, we can’t breathe. Maybe if we lose weight, the striped dress will fit. We push and shove with dogged determination, when the answer may be another dress.

We do the same thing with goals that no longer fit our lives. What worked at age forty may not work at sixty. Before we can dump baggage, we must acknowledge that it exists. 

We have to name a thing to make it real. Even then, it can be hard to let go. Have you ever seen a worn leather handle on a beloved suitcase? We can become attached to the very thing we must release.

Today I will drop one piece of baggage, and one of these days, I will fly.