I love tea. In fact, whenever I feel that I can’t survive a day without coffee, tea always gets me through it. Green tea, mint, oolong, earl grey, jasmine, name it, I love it. I’m always on the lookout for new ones too, new flavors that I can add to my tea box. So while browsing online today, I came across this picture of a teabag…

teabag

Believe it or not, this teabag prompted me to use a good couple of hours decluttering my work space. I started sorting and filing away old papers in their proper binders. Then I proceeded to clean up my bag and managed to collect a stack of papers about 6 inches high for shredding. No wonder my back was hurting all the time!

When I got home, our daughter Face-timed us, in the mood to talk. I don’t know if it was the weather, or the fact that she hasn’t gone home in two weeks, but she seemed sad. Then she started opening up about this girl who was her bestfriend in freshman year (she’s now a sophomore). They used to be inseparable, they were two peas in a pod, vowed to always have each other’s back. But since they came back in August, this friend just stopped talking to her. My daughter said it’s a sorority thing, (as the “friend” is a member of one) and it’s only temporary. But the days turned into weeks, and the weeks into months, and they just drifted apart. This hurt my daughter so much, and understandably so.

It made me sad, seeing her that way, and it made me think about what that teabag said. Travel light. It reminded me of a quote from Antoine de Saint-Exupery, “He who must travel happily must travel light”. I don’t think he was just talking about bags. Our life can be one big bag full of unnecessary things, clutter that makes it heavier everyday. It occupies space, slows you down, and gives you a backache. Certainly we don’t need that. If you want to travel happily, then travel lightly. Life is already difficult as it is. You don’t need an extra 6 inches worth of papers weighing you down. If it doesn’t serve you a purpose, then let it go. If it’s worth more trouble keeping, then maybe it’s time to get it out of your bag and out of your life.

To my daughter, I hope you realize that your value is not determined by someone’s inability to see your worth. You ARE worth it. If someone doesn’t want to be part of your life, then let them go. You don’t need them. Create space for the right people. Travel light, you still have a long way to go.

Tea