The first experience I remember with bags and containers was around age four. My mom gave me a blue-gray, plastic box with a handle. It snapped shut and held my dolly and all her necessities perfectly so I could take it with me to my friend's house. I still have and use that container.
In sixth grade, I had a weirdly awesome language arts teacher with a M&Ms paraphernalia obsession displayed along one classroom wall. We did loooong units on random things, like frogs, the Iditarod, science fiction, and Savage Sam. One of our units was on bags of all things. We read about them. We designed them. We made art projects out of paper sacks. Oh, the joy! I was in heaven. I was about this age when I started carrying my spending money and a Chapstick in a little purse. Bags!
I come by this affinity for bags naturally. My dad loves to contain and organize his stuff. My mom has occasionally enjoyed finding the perfect purse over the years. And then there's me. I love all bags of every kind. If it contains stuff, I want to know about it. I have sewed many of my own designs over the years. I read reviews and specs of pre made items. I compare and imagine. What would be the best bag for backpacking Europe? How much should a carryon weigh? What safety features would you want in South America? Which kind of backpack straps are the most ergonomic? Are the zippers on that purse of the best quality?
The thing about bags that is so attractive to me is their potential and the sometimes subtle ways they are vital to our lives. Every hike I've taken has included a backpack with water in it. Every testimony-building experience I've had had included a scripture case. Every trip I've taken has involved a duffel or suitcase. Every mall outing has a purse or wallet involved. College was all about the books and work I lugged around in my backpack. Every outing ever with a baby included a diaper bag. And every grocery haul comes home in paper or plastic.
Bags are sustenance and adventure and experiences and new ideas. Bags are magical. Bags matter.
Hermione Granger had a purple, beaded bag with an undetectable extension charm during the Deathly Hallows. Mary Poppins used the same kind of magic on her own mysterious bag. Anne Shirley toted a carpet bag with a broken handle to her many new homes. Doctor Quinn, Medicine Woman, cured folks out of her doctor's bag. These ladies are fictional, but I truly believe that a girl and her bag can change her world. Heck, Duchess Kate carries a clutch everywhere she goes, and she's real.
I don't think I'm too weird for being obsessed about bags. It could be seeds, or computer parts, or carpentry.
Nephi loved metallurgy. Notice how he admired his family's treasures, Laban's sword, the brass plates, and the Liahona. See how he had an extremely unusual bow--made of steel of all things. Do you know how hard it is to make something out of steel by hand? It's more than 24 hours of continuous pounding, and one single step at the end could shatter your work if you haven't done a good job. It is an art! Same with a single sword, and Nephi made swords like Laban's for his people. He asked where to find ore when commanded to build a ship. He fashioned plates out of metal to write upon. There are no shortcuts for this man! It's all about the metals. He loves them, and they changed his world and ours. To this day, unusual metal craft is found all over North and South America.
I'm that way with bags, though my influence will not be felt like Nephi's. If I'd written the scriptures though, I would have noted the stitching and fabrics and cubic liters and pockets of bags. Did the women sling babies across them? Did the plates go in a camel skin lumbar pack with security features?
I've often fantasized about getting to be around new bags for my work. Companies could send me their bags for review. I could start a YouTube channel for bag enthusiasts like me and show people bags. The joy of unzipping pockets! The thrill of sweet features! Id beam. I'd be delighted. It wouldn't even be work; it would be sheer glee. BAGS!
I just love bags, no apologies. And even though they aren't life, they matter because they go places and haul stuff. They silently serve all their days. Bags rock. Bags are my bag!
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