Semi- useful facts about Finland. 1. Population 4.5 million. This makes Finland the most sparsely populated country in Northern Europe 2. Home of the Nokia and the Northern lights. Phones and fun, but not necessarily in that order 3. Part owner of the world’s worst airline. Yep, the Finnish government has a majority stakeholding in Finnair – 55.8% to be exact.
Semi-useful facts about Finnair. 1. They carry approximately 8.8 million passengers per year. 2. They manage to lose luggage on a regular basis. This week, they even managed to lose my bags twice! Annoying, yes. Life-threatening…? well, probably only for the customer service department at Helsinki airport.
As I stood waiting next to the carousel for a suitcase that was not coming, I got thinking about our attachment to ‘stuff’. Why do we get upset when our luggage goes astray or our things don’t end up where we are? And as I defrosted the car and began a long, wintry drive home, I wondered about the other baggage we carry so freely. You know, the stuff we think is invisible to others (it’s not by the way), the stuff that nevertheless weighs us down, because it stops us from seizing the opportunity to shine as ourselves. Why don’t we get upset about that 20kg of emotional baggage that we’d be better off losing if we are to journey lightly through life? Perhaps it’s better to travel without possession. People matter far more than ski boots and souvenirs.
Pier Point 
Of course George Carlin's famous routine about stuff immediately comes to mind as well: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvgN5gCuLacBut I think you're on to something about being weighed down and not seizing the opportunity to shine as ourselves. You've added your support (albeit unknowingly) to a decision I've been mulling over since the end of the summer (one of our topics over supper).I hope you're traveling lightly yourself and have those relationships that augment your life and don't detract from it.