Jodi Hills

So this is who I am – a writer that paints, a painter that writes…


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Light as joy.

How many trips around the sun and down the road, does it take to learn this lesson?

As I move the luggage from hotel to hotel, I can’t imagine what it would be like if I hadn’t tried. And I did try. I do. That’s the most embarrassing part. Yet, my luggage weighs more than I do. The things we carry…

And it’s not like nature itself doesn’t teach us. When I feel healthy, joyful, the first thing I think of is that I feel so light. It’s a great feeling this release of stress, worry, angst, anger, whatever it is that weighs us down. And it can change from road to road, place to place, person to person. Letting go is one of the great lessons to be learned. And it’s ironic, I suppose, but I also have to let go of feeling guilty for not learning it already, not completely — because that in itself is just more baggage. Smiling in the mirror as I type this, as the mouth of my open suitcase stares back at me.

Oh what a smile can release! With any luck it will work its way into my heart and hands. It’s my wish for us all, the lightness of joy. Happy travels, my friends.






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All suitcases roll beautifully when empty.


It really came down to the color. They all seemed to roll beautifully — these new suitcases in the store. I tested many. Each one. Each brand. All glided across the polished floor. I picked one, sure that my next trip would be so much easier.

I removed the tags. Filled it. Full. Struggled over the rug. Through the door. Down the stairs. Hallway. Trunk. Airport. It didn’t seem all that easy. I labored with the weight. 

What seems so incredibly obvious, has taken me decades to learn. And maybe I should say understand, because to be honest, I’m still learning it. I still struggle with, “But I need it…I can’t leave it behind…”  Even more importantly, I need to learn it – for my head, my heart. How glorious it would be to roll around this world, unburdened by the weight of it all. All those conversations playing over and over in my head. The weight of worry and what ifs. The weight of well, they should have, and why can’t they…  and why didn’t I…  I’m learning to lighten the load. I don’t want to be crushed by this passage of time. Day by day. I want to let go, and enjoy the journey. 

It’s all kind of funny, when you think about it — this baggage. We have the power to choose. It can’t follow us on its own. It has to be dragged. I smile at this morning’s sun…empty handed.