All her bags are packed, she is ready to go.

The title sounds like both the lyrics to a country song and a misquote of a John Denver classic.  But it is neither.  It is the lead in to another life lesson drawn for the real events surrounding the life of one of my kids.  This time the model is my youngest daughter Sara.

Let me give you some background on my daughter.  Sara is 13 and entering the 8th grade.  She is what most people would consider a Tomboy.  Sara's clothing "style" of choice is "modern athletic".  She wears sports shorts and tee-shirts.  She has a free and easy hair style and has had a busy summer schedule.

The highlights of her summer includes several trips.

• A trip to Grandma and Grandpa's lake place with 4 friends.
• The girls Trip to California. (Past blogs on ManWeek highlight this event.)
• A week at Bible camp in MN
• A week at Grand Camp in CO.

Summer is 11 weeks long and she was on the road for 4 of them.

That is a lot of packing. 

Before one trip I poked my head in her room and asked if she was packed yet. 

She said yes and asked if I wanted to see what she had packed.  I said yes, of course, and ventured in to her room.

Now keep in mind Sara's "free and easy style," it would allow for grabbing a few things and hitting the road.  But what I found was much more thought out.  Sara had laid out outfits for each day. 

When I asked probing questions like what if you get a shirt gets dirty half way through the day and she needs another?  She pointed out her back-up plan.

When I asked about various weather chances and her plans to deal with the possibilities, she told me that she checked the weather and then told me her plans for adjusting to the changes should they happen. 

Now you are likely thinking.  I bet she packed everything.  You are saying to yourself, "right Dave she over packed" and "did it take a fork lift to haul her things away." Wrong, she didn't do any of those things.  She grabbed the smallest suitcase in the house and packed it for the trip.

Last week when I was at my brother, Justin's, house his 10 year son was packing for a trip to Grand Camp.  When I opened the front door I saw 6 unique hats laid out ready to go the next day.  He had a Cardinals hat, a Cowboy hat, Goofy Ears, Red Sox hat, another Cowboy hat and more all ready to go.  When I asked Karl what the deal was he told me the camp leader like to wear different hats everyday and he was planning to do the same thing. 

Karl was ready for fun.  (He had boots for the cowboy hat days.)  The theme for the Camp was Western.  Karl had done his research.

OK, so big deal the two kids can pack for a trip.  They share the same birthday, maybe everybody born on December 10th has a weird packing habit/talent. Not really. 

I actually saw a life lesson in it all.  If a 13 year old Tomboy can pack lightly yet still make sure she is covered and a 10 year old can plan next weeks headgear, can't we all plan better in our lives. 

Do I approach everything in my life with that same outlook that Sara and Karl use when packing?

• I am reviewing what is going to happen and do I have everything I will need to get through the week?
• What if something changes?  Am I ready for that?
• Did I "check the weather/"
• Do I maintain my own uniqueness while still looking at the future? Or do I hold tightly to chaos because I want to keep my options open?

Is your life "packed" for next week?