I like school supplies.

And I guess it really saddens me to discover that not everybody shares my love of school supplies. I suppose it's even more pathetic that I didn't realize this until today.

So. I feel really stupid, because I guess most of my life I've assumed that everybody loves or at least admires and appreciates school supplies as much as I do. When I was little and we used to go to Wal-Mart all the time, I'd always head for the stationery section, just to look. I'd stand there and goggle at the pens, pencils, highlighters, post-its, etc., all that good stuff, trying to decide which item I needed badly enough to want badly enough to plead for and be rejected. Then, on the rare occasion when I was actually allowed to make a purchase, it was like WOW.

So when birthdays rolled around and I occasionally ended up getting people school supplies, I guess I never really gave a second thought to it because to me, it was nearly an ideal gift: it was practical and it would most certainly be used, because what person would be crazy enough to NOT want new post-its, or highlighters, or whatever? I guess that's just the thing: I like practical items, not useless crap that lies around and does nothing. I mean, even the slightest purpose, or at least sentimental--but to just waste my space is a different matter. Maybe I'm picky like that. But that's just it; something handmade, free, used, could make me happy, especially if it serves some purpose, whether to look at or put on my desk or whatever, and I'd choose that over a stupidly overpriced stuffed toy any day. I think I'd be happy with a stuffed animal if somebody won it for me, because then it would have sentimental value.

And, yeah. I guess it's just that to me, school supplies were always so damn expensive, so far out of my reach. No, no, no. What do you need pencils for? Do we not have them at home? Meekly, yes, we have them at home. So they would go back to where they belonged, on the shelf. And even though I know that people don't love them like I do, I always thought they were at the least appreciated by everyone. Because it just never made sense to me to not like it, because everyone has to use school supplies, so they're universally practical to students. Scholars. Maybe I was drawn by all the pretty colors and the variations. I don't know. It's ridiculous, I realize that now.


I don't know. Having an epiphany like that is mildly depressing. I'm sorry.