Allison Mack’s Official Site

Some people pack weeks in advance. Some make checklists. Some pack and unpack, forgetting that they actually wanted to wear those jeans at the bottom of the bag, and some just say “screw it” and wear the same thing the entire trip. Me? Well, to me, it’s just throwing stuff in a bag. I went to a 9:30 movie with one of my best friends last night, and as we were strolling into “Margot at the Wedding,” I announced that I hadn’t even started to pack for my three-week trip. He looked at me lovingly and laughed, “Oh Allison, it sounds like how you do life.” Ha! That’s so true! He then suggested that I write my next blog entry on this. And so here I am– exposing to everyone how incredibly spontaneous and impulsive I am in my life. Now this habit can be looked at several different ways:

1. That I don’t sweat the small stuff. I know what’s important to me in my life, and I focus my time and energy on those things. So, in this case, I can recognize the importance in packing, so yes, of course I do it… But I find more value in the new Neil Baumbach film with a friend… So thorough packing takes a back seat, and I rush through the process of packing the next three weeks of my life three hours before departure time.
2. I’m lazy and I don’t want to think too far in the future because that would mean taking responsibility for more than i want– sad, but true, I am still very much a child.
3. I know that whatever I forget at home because of my lack of preparation will only add to my adventure on the other side– so really, it’s all a deliberate attempt at increasing my life experience.

I happen to believe my packing habits are a combo of all three. There are so many things to do and see– I don’t want to waste my time “preparing/packing” for an experience; I want to be living it. However, that being said, I’m disregarding the immensely valuable lesson that everything is an experience, and true freedom and joy come when you can feel fully engaged and excited by absolutely every and anything… Including counting out your underwear and matching up socks– Huh… So maybe it would be a good exercise for me to take my time more often and challenge me to find the fun in simply planning my outfits for the next three weeks and placing them in a bag like a lovely game of Tetris.

Ciao for now,
Allison