Packing the Backpack Differently

Over the past several weeks we’ve been talking about something women know intimately but don’t always say out loud.

The burdens we carry.

And before we wrap up this series, I want to acknowledge something.

The goal was never to have a light backpack. (Remember that idea of the invisible backpack and mental load?)

Women are never walking around with a cute little empty fanny pack. (Okay, I just showed my age - I mean crossover or belt bag!!)

That’s not our life.

We carry families.
We carry responsibilities.
We carry work, relationships, health, aging parents, kids, and sometimes our own expectations that we quietly placed on ourselves.

So the goal isn’t a lighter backpack.

The goal is a wiser one.

And here’s the other truth.

One dropped backpack doesn’t magically change how we live.

Most of us will pick it right back up again.

Maybe two weeks later.

Maybe six months later.

Maybe the next time life gets loud.

Because changing how we carry things takes practice.

It takes noticing the weight sooner.

It takes being honest about what belongs in the bag…and what absolutely does not.

After enough moments where the backpack hits the floor…we do start packing it differently.

Not empty.

Just smarter.

Some things go back in.

• Love.

• Family.

• Responsibility for the people we care about.

But some things?

• Some things we stop picking up.

• The unnecessary guilt.

• The pressure to do everything perfectly. My LOVE HATE relationship with Pinterest, doesn’t help!!!

• The expectation that strength means doing it alone.

Life is always going to add things to the backpack.

That part doesn’t change.

But wisdom teaches us something important.

We don’t have to carry everything.

And we definitely don’t have to carry it alone.

Share your burdens with your people. Your friends. Your family. That’s the power of these conversations.

Email justjennunfiltered@gmail.com and it may be answered on an upcoming mailbag episode!.

Hancock Health has stayed focused on providing women’s health built for the whole you – guided by a steadfast commitment to clinical excellence.

Today, Hancock Health stands as a trusted, independent healthcare system recognized for our commitment to innovation, community, and compassionate care. What began as one woman’s dream has grown into a health network of more than 30 locations, serving east central Indiana and beyond.