School supplies have always excited me. When I was younger, we would go to a bigger store in San Marcos or New Braunfels so I didn’t have the same supplies as everyone got from the local WalMart. I would browse the aisles, run my hands over each item, and take it all in. Even if I wasn’t quite ready to go back to school, as soon as they put the school supplies out, I was ready to shop!
Nothing changed when I was in college, except that I got to buy school supplies more often. I needed new supplies for the summer sessions, fall, and spring! Jackpot! I was always on the lookout for something neat to use in my classes.
Then I started teaching–I just thought college was the jackpot! As a teacher, I could make an excuse for school supplies pretty much any time I wanted. I would shop all summer for things I might need during the year. I even did that the summers I was unsure of my assignment for the fall.
This summer has been a little different. When Target started putting some school stuff in their dollar area in early July, I got pretty excited. Then I remembered I don’t need anything for a classroom or a class this year. As they started rolling out the full-blown school supply section, I realized I had never not bought school supplies. I still walked through and checked it all out. I still use very specific pens, so I checked to see if they were on sale. I journal, so I looked for something funky and cute. Ultimately, I didn’t buy anything because I don’t need anything right now; although, I don’t know that I’ll make it to the beginning of school without a purchase or two from the back to school section.