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In This Story... I pack my suitcase.

You’d think the more one travels, the simpler it would be to pack. But packing defies logic. The litany of “what ifs” that inevitably course through my mind when staring at an empty suitcase seems to grow. Do I start with the shoes and work my up or pick a color palette? Who will I see on the trip and what will they be wearing? Will I encounter self-appointed fashion police, i.e. women who eye your outfit and promptly place you in a category. She shops at Marshall’s. That might be said about me.  I might want to look edgy but appropriate – funky, yet classy. Clothing should flatter one’s figure and must take age into consideration. No puffy sleeves, crop tops, or short skirts for me. Not anymore.  
Packing should be easier as dress codes have been replaced by the ubiquitous yoga pants and oversized sweater ….jeans with a solid colored top and a light jacket. But which jeans? And which yoga pants? And can jeans and yoga pants really take you anywhere in the country, much less the world, as long as you have the right shoes? I’m exhausted already.  
Let’s start with the givens, where I limit myself to a carry-on and maybean oversized purse-type thing for the flight. That is unless the trip is at least two weeks or involves multiple climates. Wear the clunkiest shoes – certainly boots if they’re coming on the trip –to conserve precious luggage space. Condense the toiletries when staying in hotels that likely offer free shampoo, conditioner, body lotion & a hair dryer. Fussy about your products? Then just bring enough for the trip. And remember your pills. That one is critical. Stuff happens so prepare for the unexpected and bring extras in case you’re snowed in, the flight gets cancelled, or, God forbid, you break a bone and end up in a hospital.
Essentials, these days, include charging devices, above all, an iPad, a Kindle, iphone and Apple watch. I mean, what if there’s a moment without entertainment or stimulation? I admit it, I’m hooked on the gear. ‘Course the most valuable function of my Apple watch is finding the iPhone that I misplace multiple times per day.  
At this very moment, I’m writing about packing instead of packing. We're leaving on another trip the day after tomorrow and once again I will obsess about outfits and weather and, above all shoes. Comfort must be the determining factor but we're going to LA where style matters. I'm 70 but I'm still very much alive. It shouldn't matter what I wear, right? But it does and I still have to deceide. Scratch that. I GET to decide.