It's summer time, Fourth of

July, and everybody's going somewhere. And as surely as Cher wears a wig,

people are going to take lots of stuff with them.

When it comes to packing, though,

the last thing anybody is doing is going on a diet, trimming down or watching

their calories. Nevertheless, most of us need Slim-Fast for our Samsonites.

Why is it, everyone is always

dying to get away from home, yet, when we do get to go, we want to take

home with us? I guess we can't stand to be away from our stuff, so we

pack it for the road. There must be some comfort factor in having familiar

surroundings brought with us on a trip.

I often wonder if all our stuff

is cheering while we are not looking. As soon as we leave the room our

entire wardrobe is dancing around and singing, "We're going to Disney,

We're going to Disney!"

Vacation is supposed to mean

getting away from it all, but look inside the average person's suitcase

and you will find their all: The hair dryer, the laptop, the curling iron,

the travel iron, the electric razor, electric toothbrush, camera, camcorder,

first aid kit, shaving kit, makeup kit, sewing kit.

It's a wonder we have room

for our clothes. And heaven forbid if you bring a child! Then there's

the accumulation of bags: The diaper bag, the toy bag, the game bag, the

snack bag, to name a few.

We bring all this junk, yet

we think we're cunning to save space by stuffing our socks into our shoes

before we pack them, or use one of those travel tooth brushes that fit

inside the handle. Yeah, boy, that is sure going to save some space.

Yet, there are whole industries

built on the "travel size." If you go to your average Eckerd's

you will find a section with "Mini Me"-sized items of every

kind: Travel shampoo, razors, hand lotion, deodorant and shaving cream.

I especially like the travel-sized aspirin bottle that holds 10 pills.

Yeah, that's gonna save space. And 10 aspirins? I will have gone through

those tablets before the garage door hits the driveway on the way out.

My kids think I have the freshest breath in the world, given I call my

pain relief, "Daddy's special Tic Tacs."

Even considering these small

items, we still all need to visit our local support group, "Over

Packers Anonymous." With the help of a good 12-step program any of

us could break our six-bag habit. "Grant me the serenity to accept

things I cannot change or at least the suitcase space to change clothes

three times a day."

With our failure to pack lightly,

it's no wonder that we have wheels on our suitcases. And do you think

this is what the early inventor had in mind for his uber-creation? I mean,

forget the brilliance of the wagon train, the rail car, the subway system

or even the Eddie Bauer custom interior SUV that first caveman engineer

was probably dreaming, "These rolling spheres will be great in helping

people move their Bermuda shorts and Scooby Dooby Doo beach towels through

the airport!"

Of course, when he was done

with his designs he celebrated with a respite in Cancun. Have fun in your

travels, and remember to turn off the oven.