Pack Rat

Normally I would prefer to associate any other word to my first born than "rat" but when it comes to lugging 5-6 items around with her all day, everyday, a rat is the only word I can come up with. Sadie is the world's best Pack Rat. If there was a contest to see who could carry around the most objects without being annoyed, it would be Sades. I struggle every day with her over the number of items she wants to bring in the car, to a play date, to church or even a stroll to the park. When she rides her bike anywhere, Clifford is always in the front basket, while her three ponies adorn the backpack on the inside of her handlebars. She usually has three necklaces on, a ring, and some fashionable clip for the day which usually ends up being a horrific Halloween one she got at preschool.

I don't like carrying anything around with me. I'm chastised for never having my phone, my wallet stays in the car as I put the one credit card in my back pocket. I don't wear any jewelry other than my wedding ring and watch. I always feel like a gypsy when I have too much dangling around me (I'm weird, I know). I try to keep my house as anti-clutter as possible while Sadie hangs every single things she colors on the walls and refrigerator. When I throw her stuff away I have to put it at the bottom of the garbage can or in the bins outside because she has been known to sift through the trash in order to find her "favorite Halloween toy" or the best colored "my little pony" page ever!

I might be getting too into this but this all reminds me of my fourth companion on my mission who also happened to be the biggest challenge I had faced yet. Forget the people slamming doors in my face. Hermana Hewson was a trial that would surpass all the rejection, door slamming, and being kicked out of apartment buildings. Her red hair matched her tempter and besides the fact that she wore an engagement ring and had a wedding dress hanging in her closet, she was a pack rat to the tenth degree! As her senior companion I tried convincing her that she didn't need to carry around three grocery bags full of stationary, trinkets, and who knows what around her wrists. She also wore bands around her wrists because they were "frail" which probably stemmed from her carrying around three plastic bags around all day. She collected plastic key chains (there were probably about 15-20 of them) and she attached them to the outside of her scripture case which bounced off her hip when she walked. I swear those plastic key chains clinking about gave us away whereas if they were gone, unsuspecting civilians would have actually had to talk to us but were warned before hand of our initial approach. The darn key chains must have given them time to retreat to their homes before we could find them! Darn those Spaniards! In addition to her scripture bag, key chains and plastic bags, Hermana Hewson also had another bag strapped around her chest that carried her camera, wallet and other pictures of her beloved Pablo who she never ended up marrying anyway.

Maybe it's a scar from the mission or my Dad's hatred towards clutter that has made me who I am but watching Sadie carry around so much stuff bothers me because at the end of the day I'm usually the one who has to carry them all or look for them when she's left them at someone's house, the car or the the grocery store. I still think it's pretty cute that she's so attached to her little toys but the difference is she is 4 and Hermana Hewson was 21. Hopefully she'll grow out of it:-)