Emotional Baggage

Why can't it all be beautiful?

My first set of luggage was a high school graduation gift from my Aunt Ellie. It consisted of three Kipling soft-sided bags, black nylon with tan stitching, and each bag came with a furry monkey hang-tag. That was the dealmaker for me: I didn’t know a thing about luggage, but I sure knew the appeal of a furry monkey. I loved that luggage dearly. I wore it out, literally wore holes in it. A recent visit to the Kipling site assured me that they still include the monkey hang-tag on their goods, a comfort to the nostalgic side of me: