Ruthless!

With less than a week to go, I find myself packing and unpacking and packing again. "We carry our fears in our backpacks." (To Walk Far, Carry Less) What am I taking with me "just in case" rather than "it's a real need"?

This morning I looked at the backpack itself. I noticed four loops on the outside that have no purpose for me. Should I cut them off? A bit of a mental struggle ensued: I could probably re-sell the bag for more if I leave it intact; on the other hand, I bought the backpack for this pilgrimage, and might even find future uses for it myself. Snip! Snip! Off came the loops.

The straps are all very long. I loosened them, put the backpack on, and then grabbed the straps to tighten them. There was still 'way too much strap on all of them. Snip! Snip! I was ruthless!