Baggage

I love vessels of any kind. Boxes, containers, pouches, tins, backpacks, baskets and bags. Before school started last fall, I bought a handsome new school bag to tote my work back and forth. I only do this every few years and love getting to know all of the different compartments that are hidden here and there. Well, after working just one month, my school bag became my chemo bag. It was filled with nausea bands, a deck of cards, mints, sudoku, a journal, water, my ipod, a sweater and my blue cancer center card. I would set it next to me while getting my infusion, rummaging through it as needed. During my two week recovery periods I came to loathe that bag. I'd see it sitting by the front door waiting eagerly for my next appointment.

These days my bag is filled with sunglasses, a whistle, post-it reminders, lotion, snacks, lipstick, ungraded spelling tests, confiscated student notes, and a calendar..... I'm back.