Pocket kit

What's up world? It's been a little while since I've last blogged. I apologize for that. Anyway it's finally Spring, it took it's damn time but now it's like 75 and sunny out all week which is fantastic. This morning I checked the weather and happily saw that it was mid-70's at 10 in the morning for my walk to class. Like all other mornings, as I left my room I squeezed my left pocket to ensure every piece critical to my existence was on me.

Obviously I always keep my phone and wallet on me, but there's always a few random items that end up getting to tag along with me. My phone always falls into my right pocket, wallet in my back pocket, and in my front left is my little essentials kit. The contents of my left pocket change and evolve little by little over the years, but I've come to think it's a bit of a part of me.

The first and probably most important is a tube of chapstick. Chapstick is like my pitfall. I'm like aquaman; a superhero, but only where there's water. I just don't function without chapstick. It's a fact of life. Next is my student ID, I can't buy stuff without my ID. Finally, a pen. Whether I need to sign some autographs, jot down a few notes, or have a utensil to briefly lend out; the pen comes in handy throughout the day.

In the past, I've had all sorts of weird little trinkets in my pocket, which I would never leave home without. When I had luscious long locks of beautiful hair, a comb was a necessity. Once upon a time, a compass never left my side. My imaginative thirteen year old persona with dreams of flight fogging his mind couldn't help but know which way was north at every moment of the day. The list goes on, but unfortunately I really can't remember much of the random accessories I've considered a necessity over the years.

It's become a habit for me, wherever I am or whatever situation I find myself in, to form an 'essentials kit' of sorts. I then memorize the contents, and never leave home without them. My system works pretty well; I rarely forget anything important. But there's a fun and nostalgic aspect to it I've come to discover.

The trinkets I keep in my pocket at a given time become a token for my memories. I've blogged about it before. Every single day of my college life, I will check to ensure that I have my student ID on me as I leave the dorm. The second I get out of college, that will never happen again. But I'll save all my student ID's I end up acquiring and one day decades from now find them in a box of all my old belongings. The ID's will be a touching reminder of the good times I had in college, and quietly point out how far I've come since college.

On all the week long vacations I've taken, I've had a modified pocket kit. On my past cruises, a phone and wallet is never necessary. Instead I'd remember my sail-and-sign card and a deck of cards. In Miami, a pen wasn't always needed, but sunglasses were. Whether cloudy, nighttime, inside, outside, etc. I would never venture out into Miami without sunglasses.

The modified responsibilities involved with travel makes it so much more enjoyable. Instead of keeping track of a student ID and a pen to take notes with, all you need is your sunglasses to get by. But perhaps my favorite, is the room key. Feeling a room key in my left pocket as I walk down the hall towards the elevator of any hotel, I can't help but destress. No matter where you travel, you typically end up with a room key. A room key is the most consistent tangible proof that I'm away from home having a good time. It's almost always a shiny little card that is so light I barely feel it in my pocket; but when I do reach in and feel its' blissful smoothness, it can't be denied that I'm on the road where I belong.

So moving on, I'm ready for summer. I feel like I'm always ready for summer, even during the summer. I rode a lot last weekend. I took my bike over to Louisville, then rode around Louisville, then rode back to Lexington on Sunday. I'm getting pretty good at riding that thing. Anyway I think I'm running out of things to blog about for today. I hope you enjoyed it. Text me if you didn't. Until next time...