All you need (plus what else you need)

I came across this post on adoptionblogs.com that lists the basic essentials for baby care. People get by with even less. But most babies I know have a whole lot more than that.

In The World Awaits, Paul Otteson talks about the "necessities and niceties" of what to take on an extended backpacking trip. After covering the survival essentials (clothing, cookware, etc.), he says, "Beyond the basics, there are more basics." What he mentions next are passports, maps, credit cards and things that in one sense aren't essential, but - in an indirect sense - are.