We've a Bag for That

There are always bags in the back seat & trunk of my vehicle; that's just how it is. Fabric bags of varying shapes, sizes, & colors, durability, & sustainability. This habit has been with me for decades & may have had its early beginnings all the way back to our camp trip days. Mom found that using bags helped organize & situate our things best. A specific moment I remember with Mom was being asked to get the "blue bag" out of the closet. I did, yet the one I snagged wasn't the exact "blue bag" she had had in mind. When she saw it she had a mixture of delight & sadness as she expressed her words in much the same way telling me that getting that bag out of the closet might've been the best thing I'd done that day. And then she rebounded by telling me which things that needed to make our trip that I should go proceed to load into that "blue bag".

For instance, our clothing totes from this post, weren't built with space in them for shoes either for our varying outfits, or for the slight variation of our activities. Which, even if we didn't have many variable activities, Mom & Dad have always been firm advocates of not wearing the same shoes two days (or too many days) in a row. Therefore, having multiple pairs of shoes for each of us became an absolute must. This meant cause for a bag for that. And that we did. There was one, of rather flexible fabric, with a drawstring finish by something close to a clothesline's rope. So basically, one of these, the size of three, cause it was big, really big. Sized enough for a pair of shoes for each of us to wear to church, to be wearing for rugged activity, & maybe a spare or two depending on what we owned & what was expected of this trip.

One of our "blue bags" was actually very much a turquoise bag. Bag, or as some may call them, a soft-sided padded lunch box. Basically, one of these, just a solid turquoise. This was our, on the road, family medicine bag. Some items inside were standard; the rest were items Mom would make sure & top off the open area between the tops of the bottles & where the fabric lid's flexibility would allow for zipping up closure by grabbing them from other areas of the linen closet. Maybe a spare toothbrush, some of this & this. She'd definitely make sure we had plenty of these, this, & this. The first for all our kid wounds & splinters, etc., the last for cleansing those areas, along with this (once we'd have manufacturer's coupons for the ointment, so that we wouldn't be paying full price for it), & the other because if any ailments came along that needed a deep rub in, Dad was good at this, enjoyed it, & typically it was Mom who'd be looking for it - for Dad to apply.

Lots of other random bags, like these & these, because we never knew when we'd be stopping somewhere & the store, or roadside stand wouldn't be one to offer customer's plastic bags for their purchase. Either bring your own, or pay up. Mom & Dad preferred to come prepared, & that they certainly did.

This habit has served me well & I've taken quite a bit to it. Over the years I've tended to notice a variety of bags which could assist me in my travels, so I tend to just stow them in the back - the way back in the trunk, or just in the backseat, depending on their level of potential importance. Some places offer minor discounts for bringing bags along to take away purchased treasures. Others require you to bring your own or pay a small fee to use one of theirs. And sometimes it's just helpful to have them along; they can be like safety pins. Not too difficult to have on hand, & never a regret for having had on hand.

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