My "Baggage" Went on a Trip

A dear friend of mine asked me to pack my bags. She and her boys were headed to the Outer Banks and she wanted to take my "baggage" with her to the beach. She wanted me to pack all of my pain, worries, fears, all of my uncertainties, burdens, concerns and any other burdensome "baggage" that I could think of.  I could pack the bag as heavy or as light as I wanted.  

So that's what I did. I placed all of her suggestions in quite a large "suitcase" and placed it outside of my door early Sunday morning for her to "pick" up on her way to the beach. She was going to let my "baggage" air out in the sun, sand and refreshing sea breeze. 

They stopped by Digger's Dungeon in Poplar Branch, NC, home to the Grave Digger monster truck.  While there, they contemplated having this monster truck destroy my baggage, but decided not to at the last minute.

Mr.  Crab threatened to pinch my friend and her boys if they dumped my baggage on him!  Said he was already in a "crabby" mood, and didn't need anything that would make him any crabbier!

At the end of their first day of vacation, my baggage was tucked in for the night.  Those nuisance nerves are just that -- having trouble keeping them in my bag.

My friend thought about dropping my baggage from the loft in their hotel room. She didn't because it would have landed in the bed below.  Not extreme enough.

They thought about sending my baggage packing on the back of this plane, but knew my baggage was private and didn't need to be advertised to the whole East Coast.

This seagull begged for a treat but he refused to take my baggage.  

It was very tempting to just use a couple of those nuisance nerves to tie my baggage on to the hang glider...the wind on these sand dunes would certainly carry if far...

Hmmmm...here's an idea

After climbing 214 steps with my baggage in tow in my friend's purse, she considered throwing my baggage off the top of the lighthouse.  When she peeked over the edge and saw tiny people way down below, my friend just couldn't do it.    So down all 214 steps she went ...the boys and my baggage in tow.

She tried to pawn my baggage off on Queen Elizabeth I.  She refused and was none too amused.

My friend thought she had found a taker for my baggage ...this garden troll.  Turns out, he fell "short" of her expectations, including his "stone-cold" personality.

She tried to set my baggage free with this beautiful butterfly, but  the butterfly had just shed her own baggage in the form of a chrysalis and wasn't ready to take on more.

The newt eats what bugs him ...but unfortunately the "buffet of baggage" that was offered was way too much for such a tiny tummy.

While on a  ferry ride from Hatteras to Ocracoke, my friend considered dumping the baggage overboard when the Coast Guardsman wasn't looking. Her son spotted a momma dolphin and her baby beside the ferry.  These precious creatures couldn't be burdened with nuisance nerves, sadness and anger.

Would you believe little green alien men refused to open the hatch when they saw my baggage?

As my friend sat on the beautiful peaceful island of Ocracoke, she felt at peace with letting go of my baggage.  Amazingly, there was no one within 3/4 of a mile in either direction.   It just felt like the right time and the right place...so she dug a hole in the crystal white sand, and gently placed my baggage in it. She then covered my baggage with the warm sand, and walked away, never once looking back. 

Tonight she returned my "bag" on her way back home to Leesburg. True to her word, my "bag" was empty . . . not because she was careless or neglectful with my baggage, but because she left all of my worries, fears, pain, concerns,  and ALL OF MY CANCER  at the beach. . . gone forever, pushed out to sea, never to burden me again.