-Hannah Doyle
“Emotional baggage” is a term commonly used to describe past trials and feelings that people currently carry with them. It is most commonly used when someone refrains from entering into a relationship with someone else. For example, “I didn’t want to date that person because they had too much emotional baggage.”
“Emotional baggage” is a metaphorical term like “showering someone with gifts” or “there are plenty of fish in the sea”. Those terms are hardly taken literally, unless you are Robyn Overstreet. Overstreet used the term “emotional baggage” to create a website where you literally “check” your problems. The website is rightfully called www.emotionalbagcheck.com . You drop off your emotional baggage and receive a song in return. You can also “carry” someone else’s baggage by sending them a song and a message of encouragement. Emotional Bag Check is powered by Grooveshark, an online music website. You can search a song through Grooveshark’s library and even view the most popular songs sent to others. Unsurprisingly, the top song is “Keep Your Head Up” by Andy Grammer.
With such an interesting concept, I had to give the site a test-run.
I first tried “checking” my emotional baggage. There is a blank text box for you to type whatever you want. I then entered my email for the song and message to be sent to. The given email is kept private so a random person doesn’t get personal contact information. Immediately after sending in my baggage I chose to “carry” someone else’s. When I clicked “carry it”, the baggage I got looked all too familiar. I received the same message I dropped off.
To keep from running into the same glitch I did, I suggest waiting a little after dropping off your baggage before you pick up someone else’s. I refreshed the page and got the message “We’re currently out of emotional baggage.” Despite the uneventful notification, I was happy that there were as many people out there willing to take on others problems as there were people dropping off their own. I waited a few moments and finally picked up a bag that wasn’t my own. It felt good to pick out a song and send a hopeful message with the mystery of helping a stranger. A few hours later I checked my email and found two responses to the text I sent in my Junk folder.
Despite a few mishaps, the website was a fun experience and I recommend giving it a try. You never know whose day you’ll brighten, or who will brighten yours.
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