Note to Self

I've been warned: be forgetful at my peril.

Thus far, my forgetful, distracted tendency has been forgiven. Because I planned to backtrack a couple of times in this first phase of the trip, I can retrieve my pillow from Ariel's and regain my cellphone from the vinegar shop in Napa. This must stop.

From now on I am moving forward and these kind of rookie mistakes will have a greater impact. It's time to get my gear organized and my systems in place. Some thoughts:

• Don't wear skirts. Pockets are my friends. 
• Stop and think before I leave a place, any place, what did I put down, what might I have forgotten?
• Have a place for everything and everything in its place. And then do that. Get disciplined about keeping things organized. I know this will pay off.
• Reflect on the nature of 'things' in my life. What do they represent to me? Where is the invisible string (tether?) that makes it so hard for me to give things up? It's not sentimentality, it's utility: I might need that later, I wouldn't want to have to buy it again.
• Consider this: If I forget something, perhaps I didn't need it after all. Hard to fathom that with the cell phone, but it's worth thinking about.
• Be rigorous and, at the same time, forgiving. Pay attention and let it go. Try hard and fail gracefully.