We live in a society of wants and needs. With the desire to have all of our wants and needs met, comes our need to carry baggage. Yes, our very own, very personal, and very heavy baggage.

Over the years, I’ve learned a multitude of life lessons. Most of them relate to the baggage that I still carry. For instance, I’ve learned that for every ying there’s a yang. For every “up” there’s a “down” and for every “in” there has to be an “out.” Unfortunately, however, I haven’t gotten rid of any of it from my bags over the years.

Arriving to work daily day with tons of stuff, I need for baggage as well. As part of the Support Staff recognition/appreciation drag in a large handbag, coupled with a tote bag. One can hardly tote the bag, it’s so heavy, so why call it a tote bag? Instead, schlepping along I risking getting a sore back and a dislocated shoulder. Even now, my body tilts to the right a little. Have you noticed?

Ironically, my company recognized its employees’ need for bag during an office celebration and we were all given backpacks. Wow! So many places to store stuff! Top! Bottom! Sides! Inside! Outside! I’ve already packed mine with so much stuff that the zipper won’t stay closed. It keeps parting like the sea!

During my college days, my family was always on the move, courtesy of the military. I frequently spent my breaks with relatives and friends out-of-state. That meant spending lots of time in airports. As an art major, I had to work on a bunch of design projects during my breaks and was always loaded down with drafting/art supplies. I thought nothing of dragging my big, black, portfolio through the airport and checking in with my T-squares, giant triangles, and utility knives. Watching the airport shakedowns of today, I remember an experience I once had. I was stopped from boarding my return flight back to school because I had in my possession, a brand new pair of 16-inch, razor-sharp scissors. The security personnel almost fainted when they discovered them in my bag as it glided through the x-ray machine. “Hold it!” they shouted. “You can’t travel with those!” “What?” I asked, calmly, looking as bored and yet as innocent as I possibly could. My parents just stood there with their mouths gaping open and shaking their heads in disbelief. Their loving hands once poised to wave good-bye were now covering their eyes and mouths in disbelief. They looked more than a little embarrassed. “What?” I again asked? “I need them!” I went on to explain. “Hand them over,” my mother demanded. So sighing, I humored those in authority, handed over the scissors, and went on my merry way, flying the friendly and, now more secure skies. It’s funny to me when I think back on it, because if that had happened today, I would have been arrested and, I don’t look good in horizontal stripes.

Some people are still amazed at the things I pull out of my old bag. And, no matter what I wear, I always try to carry a matching handbag. As a result, I have bags in all sizes, colors, and shapes. Many of my friends tease me about them -- mostly, because I change them a lot and lecture them on how their bags should always match their shoes. Really -- it’s just as easy to match as to not match. Think coordination! I’ve never been a victim of the old brown bag/black bag syndrome. No, I believe that there is a bag for every reason, season, occasion and outfit. Now, what’s in that bag is a quite a different story!

Most men don’t understand bags, but women do. Men don’t need a lot of baggage, just the bare essentials. However, on a larger scale, that’s what women need as well. For example, commuting from Alexandria, VA to DC each morning, it’s essential that I carry a few things to make it through the day. After all, one never knows what one might need. Remember the 1970’s daytime game show called “Let’s Make A Deal?” The zany and colorfully clad contestants won all kinds of prizes for what they were able to pull out of their bags at the host’s request. I just know I would have been great on that show if only given the opportunity! Personally, I think all handbags should be stocked with these basic essentials:

Spare keys to the house, car and jewelry boxes; tooth paste/tooth brush and breath mints; nail clippers, fingernail polish and polish remover; extra clothing, makeup, safety pins, pencils (one for writing and more for the eyes); sharpeners, pens, notepads; combs, brushes (makeup, shoe and hair), scissors (big and small); extra jewelry, extra stockings; reading material, cameras (digital and 35mm), note cards, an address book, medication (to stop the madness); eye drops, tissues (in assorted colors, of course), pictures, a pair of flat shoes; wallet, labels, stamps, snacks; perfume, cell phone and accessories; sale coupons, keys; a sewing kit, CDs, books on tape; bottled water, collapsible cup and aspirin, an umbrella, and last but not least, a Kastle key!

Whew! Did I leave anything out? When I hear that old cliché -- “it’s in the bag!” -- I smile and think to myself, “yes, it certainly is!”