The Dust of Several Continents aka “Ode to My Pack”
The Dust of Several Continents……that is what i saw floating around you in my tub. yes, i bathed you lovingly in preparation for our TX-family-visit. i’m terribly attached you, my decade-old pal. how old are you in pack-years? we both cut our travel teeth on our first journey to Africa when we met my sister at her peace corp home in Niger. since then you have been with me to other parts of Africa as well as India, Europe, Turkey, much of the USA and, of course, you were my constant companion for 5 months in Central America. i looked at the brown water and the memories came flooding back. you have been mercilessly thrown on and off buses, planes and boats, dragged across floors, sat upon, laid upon, survived encounters with flowing vomit, fish juice and other substances that roll across floors of the aforementioned buses, planes and boats. you have taken all these indignities with dignity.
my passion for travel began on that trip to Niger, where you first met my back. i never gave you a name because i didn’t even realize how attached i’d become to you until recently. in central america i saw many younger, sleeker, firmer models with fashionable color palettes and a dizzying array of straps, buckles and zippers. they only made me love you more. they made me fearful of the day you are no longer able to contain the burden i carry. i, from this day forward, pledge to take better care of you and prolong your life as best i can. you deserve nothing less. thank you for your faithful service and companionship as we’ve traversed the globe. and here’s to many more amazing journeys!
Tags: backpacks, friends, Peggy, Travel
Peggy Rehm