contentment

it's a sobering experience to pack for a substantial move, such as the one we're undertaking. it's interesting, because we get to go over everything we own or of which we are in possession. and as we do it, we realize how much stuff we have.

the other interesting thing is the constraint of luggage. we're only allowed two pieces of luggage each (excluding carry-on), and each piece can weigh a maximum of 50 lbs. it's an interesting exercise for us, since we both have tendencies to try to plan for every possible scenario. we're expecting london to be quite expensive (or so we've heard) and hope to be able to save on extra costs by bringing over as much as we can and avoid buying things there. this includes basic (and often heavy) things, such as soap/body wash, shampoo/conditioner, etc.

it's a tiring, troublesome process of packing, then re-packing, then re-packing yet again (only to find out we're still over the max luggage weight). but it's also a blessing in disguise, as we get to go through an inventory process and review what's really important, and what's not so important. it gives you an interesting perspective on necessities vs. luxuries. asking yourself "do i really need this?" is a very enlightening question indeed.

the other benefit is, as the title suggests, learning contentment. there's no possible way we'll have access everything in london the way we do in toronto. it forces us to come to terms with the fact that we'll have to get by with a lot less. but the flipside of that is that we're going to realize that it's possible, and that we don't need probably even half of the stuff we have in toronto to survive. or at least let's hope so...