In this journey, my backpack was my life.  Everything inside the backpack was important to me.  The more i walked, the more i realized the importance of what i was carrying or what i needed to let go of.

Backpack is a symbolic analogy for what we carry in our life on a daily basis; memories from past, childhood, and relationships with parents, friends, coworkers and partners. During the course of life, there is a lot thrown at us and we automatically collect and put them in our backpack.  We often claim what we mentally or physically carry in our life as our own belonging. Are they?

In this journey I learned that no one else is going to carry my backpack for me; i have to learn to befriend with my own backpack and choose what to carry and what not to. Eventually, It is up to us to make our backpack lighter or heavier in this unpaved road of life.

When we begin to evaluate what we carry, something magnificent happens. When we choose what to carry and what not to, we learn to be OK with what is in the backpack. Acceptance, self -acceptance and self -worth begin to shape; expectations begin to fade away; patience and tolerance become more available; and appreciation and support become more essential in life journey.

Therefore, one learns to become further responsible for his/her own backpack and carry it peacefully without any complaints and resentment. My body learned to be accustomed to its weight and my commitment to carry my own backpack became stronger day after day.

Carrying our own backpack requires balance, consciousness, and awareness. It is about becoming comfortable with letting go of what is not needed. It is about negotiating memories/ items – what to keep and what to let go of; it is about allowing ourselves to fly into uncharted territories with the backpack we carry.

Happy Possibilities!

Tahereh Barati, M.A, RMFT