No. 4 Tortoises, Snails and Embracing the Life of a Nomad

As a tortoise or a snail has its shell, so I have my suitcase.   It represents my home from home and (most) of what I need to survive as a nomad.   A lot of planning went into my suitcase, and this becomes obvious when you try to lift it.    Having to organise four months of traveling to and fro from relatives, friends and housesits, I knew that I needed to prepare, and pack, for every eventuality.   Unfortunately, every eventuality wouldn’t fit into my suitcase, large and handsome though it is.   I stacked, packed, unpacked, and repacked half a dozen times and, after much agonising, finally sacrificed five kilos of precious cargo before Air NZ would allow my suitcase, with a large HEAVY label attached, on the plane.

I have given myself therapy and come to the conclusion that my somewhat large suitcase contains my attempts at re-creating the familiar and workable structures I enjoy at home and possibly subconscious (unconscious?) efforts to control my shifting day to day environment, so that I can keep track of what’s going on.   Sometimes, this works, and other times it doesn’t, and I can very easily tell the difference.   On another level, can it possibly be an attempt to carry my past life with me?   I think this needs more thought, and possibly more intensive therapy!