Well, it is officially that time of year again The store shelves that once held inflatable swimming wings, margarita mixes, sunscreen and bug spray are now home to row-after-row of backpacks, calculators and rulers.
When I was younger, this would have been an exciting time for me. But as I became older, things have most definitely changed.
When I was in elementary school, shopping for school supplies essentially meant tagging along behind my mom as she placed my required items in her shopping cart. My only real responsibility I'm sure, was the selection of my lunch kit or back pack. And going back to school was exciting. I mean, it meant recess. And who doesn't love recess?
When I was in middle years, I loved when the school supplies made their way back to the shelves. My siblings and I each got our 'school supply allowances' and were able to choose our own supplies. The only stipulation was that we had to come back to the cart with everything that was required on our list. And we did, to the best of our ability anyways. Sometimes the 'newest and coolest' item that made it into the shopping cart didn't always make it through the till, but regardless, shopping for back to school supplies was exciting!
When I hit high school, this all changed. No longer was my required supply list fun. I mean, I basically needed a pen, pencil, paper and a calculator. Gone were the days of a 24-pack of crayons and rainbow coloured highlighters. No longer did I require a new backpack, a new lunch box, or new running shoes.
It was probably at this point, that it all started to change for me. It wasn't that I didn't like school or that I didn't want to go back to school. I was actually one of those kids that did. School came easy to me and so my attendance there (unfortunately for my teachers) meant an opportunity to socialize with friends. But even that couldn't make the return of school supplies exciting anything. The feelings spurred during this time were rather a feeling of disappointment that my care-free summer days were coming to an end rather than a feeling of excitement.
And honestly, my feelings concerning school supplies taking over the shelves at the end of July have not changed all that much.
Walking into the stores this weekend meant walking into an ocean of school supplies. Notebooks of every size and color lined the shelves, pens and pencils were front-and-centre, and the colourful exhibit of highlighters and markers was hard to miss. The 'newest and coolest' were on display as the latest 'must-have' for the school year.
As I walked by display-after-display, I will admit that the return of the school supplies brought back a dreaded feeling once again. Only this time, it had nothing to do with going back to school. This time, it was the realization that summer was half over.
From this point forward, the annual ritual will always serve as a reminder to me that summer is passing by. By the time you read this, the kids and teenagers at the lake will be back to being students in T-minus-34 sleeps or less. Half of the summer has already slipped away from us. Time left to spend at the lake with friends, on the golf course with the sun or in the lake full of water is quickly passing us by.
So if you have a must-see list or a must-experience list for this summer, this is your reminder (and mine) that the summer months that we all know and love are half over. So get out there, and make the most of what is left because that too, will pass quickly.
