Flight AC .... Extra Baggage

Date 22nd May'07, Time 2pm ... location Detroit Airport. ready to get the luggage in and recieve the boarding pass, fly for a month long vacation Michigan -> Toronto -> Newfoundland, Canada ... there happens a conversation between me (passenger) and Vaneesa (the airlines ticketing staff) that made me think what is going to be the objective of this write up.

ATS: Sir, your baggage is 10 pounds heavy ... you're only allowed to take 23 kgs equivalent to 50 lbs and your bag weighs 60 lbs.

Me: (pondering within, talking to myself .... what's new in this lady, I know I love traveling and I know I don't like packing my bags ... well not for no any better reason!)

ATS: Sir ... you have to remove the extra 10 lbs from the bag or else pay $50 to carry it as a heavy luggage.

Me: but ma'am do we not get plus minus ten percent as a rule???

ATS: confused ... who bought this legislation ?:o:x:o

Me: well, see the math is 10% of 50 lbs gives me a leverage of another 5 lbs extra so technically I can take 55 lbs officially and as far as another last 5 lbs is concerned ... think about it, no one's gonna know that is 55 or 60 once its on board. (patting my back, feeling bit airy assuming oh yea made the deal, she'd be convinced).

ATS: gets totally obnoxious with all the math and %age .. say says am sorry sir, 50 is the limit and you cannot take anything extra !

Me: hmmm ... now it sounds tough I can't throw anything, neither would I want to pay for my poor packing style of the traveling bags! huh ... wot to do ... ma'am you're gonna leave me with no underwears if I leave the other 10 lbs. :-D

ATS: hehe ... giggles ... well too bad, can't help it man, nice try though ... I hope you manage without them in case you decide to leave them ;-)

Me: haha ... Ohkay I give up, can't miss my flight now ... take another $50 lbs, let me go! and I kick myself ... better learn packing or ask someone else to pack for you next time!!!

well ... the issue settles down with the payment and I walk up to the security check, stand in the queue, take the laptop out of the bag, removes shoes, belt and jacket, watch, keys, coins etc. etc. ... finally walks out of that successfully and thankfully sooner than expected, the staff people were pretty fast. so take my lappy bag on my shoulder and find the nearest Starbucks until my flight is ready to be boarded. now here starts a fresh thought process ! what is that ... well certainly something in retrospect to the previous discussion ?

"Extra baggage!!!" -- in life we often tend to be associated with situation(s) that looks absolutely fantastic, fabulous when we start the journey, even up to some good point, however, as we go along, the good point passes away ... and we start to realize that those beautiful bags which we were gonna use in the days, time to come so happily have rather become a pain in the butt. An unfortunate, unwanted weight is all we carry on the mind pressing the shoulders every now and then. The simple thoughts turn to form a dilemma that hovers all around the mind ... What to do with it ???? It's something you can't leave because after all you yourself chose it, and something you can't keep because the more you keep the more you pay the price ! financial, physical, mental and emotional toll -- all summing up in form of the extra baggage.

Only departing is not important but what is more important is departing at the right time. one is gotta be smart, and careful in making the choices ... the heavier the baggage, the heavier the price you pay to keep them with you ... the price may be worth at times, the price may make the whole baggage worthless at times ... everything boils down to the last decision you choose when you decided to carry the baggage .. full of clothes or full of emotions. extra baggage ... none likes it !

Next week I fly back to my home in Michigan and still my initial choice of packing bothers me, is gonna suck my wallet unnecessarily for one more time ... but not anymore though, have learnt my lessons well ... gonna be more careful in choosing the attire I wanna carry or simple enough buy the undergarments from the place I visit ;-). but yea no 'extra baggage' in whatsoever manner ... neva ... nones likes it ... why me then !