Prologue (Part 3/4)

Make the backpack, unload the backpack. Make the backpack, unload the backpack. Make the backpack, unload the backpack…

A pilgrim has to take care of his backpack before the travel starts, in such a meticulous fashion as a warrior preparing for the battlefield, or a Zen master reflecting on his feelings before the lesson. The backpack will be his best friend, the contact point with the real world, and most of the time, a means closer to heart than his brain.

Last time I thought I had brought only the essential, but I was proven wrong. I arrived at Santiago without sunglasses, one shirt, a pair of slippers and my beloved notebook. I finished the path, looked back, and promised to myself that next time I would also take with me only the essential. Unfortunately, I did not have that courage..

So, here we are again:

  1. walking shoes
  2. slippers
  3. 3 t-shirts
  4. 2 pairs of trousers
  5. a sweater for the cold mornings (or the Skype calls..)
  6. Marseille soap in dust
  7. my stick (Wilson), hoping that Ryanair will allow me to travel with it
  8. underwear
  9. a sleeping bag
  10. my favourite sunglasses
  11. a wonderful Harvard cap
  12. bracelet
  13. earplugs
  14. earphones
  15. 3 rings
  16. charger for my smartphone
  17. a couple of bandanas
  18. comb
  19. shampoo
  20. toothpaste and tootbrush
  21. sunscreen for the face
  22. k-way
  23. essential medical stuff
  24. a couple of towels
  25. ah, and a laptop. 2 damn kilograms of laptop.

I know that bringing a laptop seems unnecessary, but a smartphone is just not sufficient to manage all the daily contingencies in a lawyer’s life. Last time I brought an iPad with a Bluetooth keyboard, and I had to reply to emails and work on contracts with such bare bones set up. It wasn’t ideal.

I’ll have to pay the price for every damn kilogram. And I’ll pay the price for carrying that damn laptop. I’ll blame myself and start yelling and complaining when I feel the pain on my shoulders, on my heels, and on my knees. But I would not be able to do a decent blog or manage my daily tasks without it.

And as long as I can do my stuff, it’s fine for me.

#prologue #backpack

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