The Most Wonderful Time Of Year

It's the most wonderful time of the year. You probably think I'm crazy. In fact, I'm surprised you even have time to read this between buying your books and moving into your dorm and buying new clothes and getting your parking permit and ID card and meal plan all worked out. No, I'm not crazy and no, I don't love being busy, in fact, I hate it. But second to Christmas, back-to-school is my favorite time of the year. Ever since I was but a small first grader, I have loved not the physical act of going back to school and hearing teachers talk about why all of the other classes aren't worth our time but theirs is etc. etc., but the act of preparing to do so. Yes, I'm talking about those Target runs when you walk around for what seems like forever picking out which notebooks are the most ideal given the particular schedule you have this semester and which highlighters are going to show off the most important information the best. Unfortunately this errand isn't as exciting or as monumental in college as it was in elementary school when you got your "4th Grade School Supplies" list in the mail and then you would beg and plead (or at least I would) with your mom for the entire month of July for her to take you school supply shopping until lo and behold, the first week (or second or third) week of August she finally takes you. When you finally made it to the store of course, it was always a debate of what was actually necessary to purchase from the list, "do we really need Elmer's glue?" and which items that weren't on the list were necessary, "isn't last year's pink and purple spacemaker cool enough or are pencil pouches going to be in this year?" Then there was picking out which colors of notebooks and folders you want. Trust me, this can take time. For instance, you can pick out all six notebooks, perhaps deciding that you are going to color code them based on class, but then realize that they are out of certain colors of folders, thus throwing off your color-coordination. And once you have the more basic supplies picked out, you've got to work out those big purchases. There's always the question of how often is it appropriate to purchase a new backpack. If you choose to buy one every year for instances, chances are, you will find yourself in college with a collection of 5 pink Jansport backpacks, one zebra Jansport backpack, a few miscellaneous L.L. Bean backpacks from years you really planned ahead and ordered them and another random backpack that you got for free that's better than all of the other ones. If you're eight you usually have to worry about buying a lunchbox, too. 


I honestly can't say exactly why I love all of this crazy planning and picking and purchasing, perhaps it's just the predictability before the complete mess of unpredictability that comes with each new year.