Backpack Essentials

Did anyone else spend an exorbitant amount of time pondering just the right backpack to ride atop your child's vertebral column, on a daily basis, as they made their way to their classrooms to tackle the school day?

I clearly remember those shopping expeditions, and thought, at the time:

"Wow! Once this thing is packed up for the first day of school, my kids are going to be prepared for anything !". 

Year after year, that highly anticipated August morning arrived more quickly than anyone could have imagined. I would get my kids out the door - armed with the essential grade-level items (including Kleenex for everyone, and nowadays, plenty of hand sanitizer!), and I believed they were ready to face the world!

Not so fast!

Yes - the tangible items were safely ensconced within the pockets and partitions of each child's carefully chosen and well-packed knapsack.  All of the writing instruments, books, folders, binders, and notebooks they could ever need resided amidst those canvas or vinyl borders.  Some days, it looked as though the strained zippers would give way at any moment due to its ever-increasing contents.

Every item bore a pop of color identifying itself as belonging to my children. Each notebook and folder, were neatly marked with a corresponding subject area, and lined up like little soldiers ready for service. There was not a single, physical item missing from any of the three backpacks that were about to be launched into academia!

Then, a rogue thought!

"But what about the intangible items?"

 Had I adequately provided my children with the things that could not be bought during excursions to Target, Walmart, or Office Depot?

My mind zeroed in on the fact that we all carry "figurative" backpacks containing the necessary "tools" for us to navigate life inside, as well as beyond, the walls of the school building; things that we each need but cannot purchase.  Yet, how did we/do we acquire them?

It is through parents, grandparents, teachers, close friends, and/or the many other influential people who have crossed our paths, contributing to our ever-expanding, symbolic tool boxes - purposefully, or merely by exemplifying these qualities, who have instilled in us things such as:  integrity, perseverance, confidence, compassion, gratitude, courage, patience, resilience, humility, empathy, self-worth, tolerance, passion, and kindness. 

We have learned how to be independent, treasure friendships, find self-acceptance, laugh, seek inner peace and fulfillment, have faith and hope, exhibit strength, find our purpose(s,) respect ourselves and other people, and be guided by our own moral compasses.

Thinking about my own life, there have been countless instances in which I've called upon those very tools that took root within me, shaped who I wanted to be and, ultimately, who I am.  Somehow, reaching into my representational backpack, I summoned each one at the right moment and found my stride through the years. Though my hands could not actually hold the characteristics and traits that became imbedded within me, I was able to "grasp" their importance to my future endeavors and overall well-being.  

At every turn, I promised myself that, when I had children of my own, I would do my utmost to ensure that they were equipped with the proper items, tangible or intangible, that they could employ to help them succeed not only in school, but also as they took flight to find their way in the big, wide world.

Pens run out of ink.  Pencils become dull or require more lead.  Books become dogeared. Folders, binders, and notebooks each have limited capacity.  I like to think, however, that the intangibles are recurrently utilized and never depleted. 

My kids are grown now, and it is my greatest hope that, while they may no longer bear the weight of a physical backpack, instead, and in its place, they will simply feel fortified by the ones they carry in their hearts and minds - ready to conquer whatever path they choose to pursue and for whenever the road unexpectedly curves.

Recalling the amount of time it took to select the perfect carry-all for my children's belongings, I realized, paled in comparison to the hours and effort required to fill their metaphorical backpacks with everything I hoped would see them through the doors of, not only a school building, but also through life.

© Cre8ive Writes, LLC 2022