Don't hesitate, just go for the ball

I learned a lot back when I was a goalkeeper for my school's soccer team. It wasn't so much the soccer as the soccer metaphors for life. The difference between a good goalkeeper and a bad one is hesitation. A good goalkeeper never hesitates - instinct guides him to the ball.

In the beginning of the planning process for my trip, I never hesitated. I decided to go, told my landlord I was leaving, told my boss I was leaving, told my mom, and bought my plane ticket. Now, though, I feel myself hesitating about one thing: packing.

I spent Thursday evening trying to pack. I say trying because I'm having a tough time making decisions. How do I pack for three months of cooler weather in just a big backpack and bike panniers? At first I had thought to put all of the cold weather stuff in the panniers, which I could then leave packed until the end of the trip. Then I thought, hmm, the panniers probably are easier to access than the big backpack in terms of ease of finding things. As it was getting later into the night, I just took everything I had decided to pack, threw it on the floor, and went to bed.

I decided three pairs of pants - jeans, khakis, and corduroys (green) - would be enough, in addition to the pair of black track pants I'm bringing for bike trips. I thought five long-sleeved shirts were good - two turtlenecks (blue and ribbed gray), one thinner sweater (red), a comfy yellow shirt, and my Cincinnati Reds shirt, which is a mock turtleneck and is made of a fabric designed for athletics - ideal for biking. Then, three warm sweaters - two fleece (one white and the other black and red) and one a wool polyester blend (green with a gray and blue stripe). No, it's definitely not a lot of clothing, but if for some reason I need more, I'll just pick them up at a local store.

But back to my hesitation. I'm typing this at 11am on Saturday morning, the only full day I have left here in DC. Tomorrow I will be attending the last Washington Nationals baseball game ever played at RFK Memorial Stadium (they are getting a new stadium next year, and that's a good thing), so the middle of my day will be broken up by baseball. There's a ton more to do, but my mind is scattered in a million different directions right now, which is why I am on the computer rather than actually doing the things I need to do.