Friday, July 25, 2008

Friday Five:What You Absolutely, Positively Cannot leave Home Without


Singing Owl says: "We will be at a chaplain's convention when you all are answering the Friday Five Questions. I'll look forward to reading your answers next week when I get home. At the moment we are trying to get the car loaded so we can hit the road, so this will be a simple F.F. This running around madly in order to leave has me wondering: what are the five things you simply must have when you are away from home? And why? Any history or goofy things, or stories?"

1. Comfy shoes
2. SlicStick (the stuff you put on under the comfy shoes "just in case" so they don't give you blisters)
3. First aid kit containing all sorts of ointments, bandaids, unguents, creams, tapes, etc. etc. etc. (mostly used when the comfy shoes and the SlicStick fail and the blisters come anyway...do we see the theme emrging here?)
4.CD player with my "night music" to deal with the insomnia of strange places and strange beds without waking the neighbors
5. (Slight twofer cheat here cuz they always travel together) My journal and my small Book of Common Prayer

Yes I am the person on the trip who has the bandaids and the aspirin and the Tums and the whatever. I carry two big ziplocs full of "stuff" related to whatever might befall us, as well as safety pins, a small sewing kit, glasses fixer, etc. I started doing this when I went on my annual yoga retreats to Mexico and it just became a travel habit. Every now and then a new "disaster" will befall us and I'll add a new thing, like when we had to fix someone's glasses with pipecleaners, I added the glasses kit. I guess there's something in me that likes being the go-to gal!

12 comments:

Di said...

Seriously intrigued by this "slick stic" thing... thanks for telling us about it!

Diane M. Roth said...

I forgot about the journal! I don't know what the slick stic" is either, but I had a blister before I left (some semi-cute new sandals were not as sensible as I thought).

I don't have a book of common prayer, but I'm looking forward to the pocket edition of our new hymnal, as I like to bring that along on trips.

Silent said...

On one trip in college (with a whole group of other college students), one of my friends gave us all awards at the end of our travel. I was given the "Nurse-Medic Award," because I too am the 'go-to girl' for first aids supplies and other random things someone always needs but tends not to bring! I'm glad I'm not the only one!

Sr. Heather said...

Slick Stic - I have GOT to check that out! And I'm glad I'm not the only one who brings a BCP on trips. Sometimes... there's just something about having it near me, even if all I do is touch the cover and riffle through the pages... though usually I do more than that.

Happy weekend!
warriormare

Unknown said...

You're not a klutz are you? 1st Aid seems a bit much. Shoes sound like a good idea though.

:-)

Mary Beth said...

I need to find that stuff for shoes too!!

Jan said...

You're definitely a handy person to have around on a trip!

I'm wondering about this "slic stic" too--sounds very useful.

Barbara B. said...

But I bet you don't need a SlicStick with Tevas! :)

Unknown said...

I am traveling with you, come on let's go!

and yes, what is a SlicStick

Anonymous said...

and I'm the person that always forgets to pack all that first aid stuff... remind me the next time I go on a road trip to invite you!

Ruth Hull Chatlien said...

I take first aid on long trips, but not usually on short ones. When we visit my SIL in Indy, we're forever running to Walgreens for bandaids, cough drops, etc.

We do take an enormous number and variety of vitamins with us though.

Lori said...

You and I would be the most popular girls on a road trip because between the two of us we'd have just about the entire contents of the CVS store.

A yoga retreat? That sounds really nice.