The Kindness of Traveling Lightly

"For once you have tasted flight you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skywards, for there you have been and there you will long to return."
~ Leonardo da Vinci

It occurred to me this morning how amazing it would be if we could "travel light" -- not in the way that we think of when going on a plane trip and hoping not to check in baggage.  Instead, what if we could put down the anger, the negative feelings about people, experiences and the past, and just move forward?  I am not saying that we should forget -- the lessons of the past should definitely inform our decisions and actions going forward.  But what if we took those lessons and experiences as information and nothing more?  What if we could let go of the negative emotions that accompany them?  I don't think it's an accident that this occurred to me in the middle of yoga exercises as I tried mightily to stay in the present moment, to just breathe...  The mere thought of being able to do this made me smile, and I felt both a little lighter and even a bit more free.

My hope is that we can all travel a little more lightly this year.  I think that would be a kindness for ourselves as well as for those who accompany us on the journey.