I stood around the baggage carousel in Portland, Oregon, with many other travelers hoping to spot my temporary closet on wheels. Finally, I saw my wheeled suitcase with fluorescent luggage tags making its way down the belt. I grabbed the suitcase and headed to the rental car terminal.
Glancing behind me, I stared in disbelief. My practically new roller-board had a large gaping hole on one side, a crushed zipper, and missing front pockets. To make matters worse, one leg of my pantyhose was tucked inside my suitcase and the other leg was dragging behind it. A perfect split.
Prudent female travelers utilize the multi-tasking convenience technique of “leaving your undies in the pantyhose.” Yes, my drawers were sunny-side up tucked into the hose. I quickly reeled in the unsightly undergarments as I silently thanked my mother for teaching me the clean underwear rule…both on and off the body. You just never know…
Making a U-turn, I headed toward the luggage lady standing only a few feet away. She took one look at my terminally damaged suitcase and said, “Are you sure we did that?”
It was just one of those moments when my mouth got ahead of my brain: “Well, I can assure you this didn’t happen during the twelve-foot trip from the belt to here.”
The luggage lady inspected the large hole in the side of the bag complimented by an exposed wire while she attempted to open the main compartment with a crushed zipper. She lifted what was remaining of the outside pockets and asked, “Do you think it can be repaired?”
Those words hit me like a ton of luggage; some things are not fixable and cannot be repaired. Many times when life hands us difficult circumstances, the best thing to do is replace what is damaged. Pour your energy into something more hopeful.
According to Dr. Henry Cloud, it’s healthy to lose hope in hopeless situations. Search for a new hope in another direction. We need to learn the difference between wishing and hoping. Wishing is based on false hope since it may be unrealistic wanting. When we are faced with these types of realities, it’s wise to consider a necessary ending. Pray for yourself and use wisdom to let it go.
Just like that damaged suitcase, I tried to repair something that had no hope. Talk about dragging around excess baggage! No thanks. Share this self-improvement post about fixing the unfixable with those who need a quick self–fix!
