It's the most wonderful time of the year!  Brilliant marketing!  The commercial for that well known office supply store dared to openly display the inner thoughts of parents as they shopped for all those back-to-school necessities.  The utter joy on their faces and the bounce in their steps are utterly relatable.  We have been set free to admit to our children that it's been great to have them home but now it's time to get back to school.  Life is returning to our version of normal and we are made glad.

My children are all grown up now so this is no longer a trip I need to make.  However, I still feel the urge to head out to this nameless store to purchase some packages of three-hole punched lined paper, some markers and perhaps just a few more pens.  It's as if that is the price of admission for me to get started on a new year.  Then it occurs to me that many of us really do see this Tuesday after Labour Day as a new beginning.  And it is, isn't it?

Summer is coming to a close.  Holidays have mostly been taken and it's time to settle down to the fall season and the approaching winter months.  Our pace quickens as we pick up the busyness of commitments that have lain dormant over the summer.  Do you get the urge to set new goals, seek new hobbies or start new interests all with the view that September marks the time to do such things?  I know I do.  I wonder if this will be the year that I'll sign up for those guitar lessons I've been considering.  Or maybe singing lessons.  I think I just heard the groanings of my family who would much rather I did something quieter like quilting.

There has been much talk over the last few years about rearranging the school year.  Instead of the break being clumped altogether in July and August, the same amount of time would be given but spread throughout the year.  Often times when the discussions start up, you can hear the cheers of the avid skiers and snowboarders who envision more time on the slopes.  Bus drivers smile broadly at the thought of sleeping in on those horrendous snow days and then pull back a bit at the thought of all those boisterous passengers in the sweltering heat, in a big yellow bus, with no air conditioning. 

Imagine what such a change would do to our way of life.  For one, when would we have those great "back-to-school" sales that we've come to love?  We know that the more we buy the cheaper things are.  What if parents weren't rushing to the stores en masse to grab those bargains? Would things become more expensive as stores would no longer be filling their shelves for the onslaught?  That would apply not just to the office supply stores, but clothing and shoes and laptops and … and …. and the list goes on!   

What do you suppose it would mean to the employment opportunities for our young people?  Usually the rush to fill the seasonal positions begins with the early release of the college and university students in April on to the end of June when the high-schoolers get out.  Would year round schooling only impact the high schools?  Would these students be popping in and out of the work force for a couple or three weeks at a time over the year?  A scheduling nightmare for employers, I'm sure.  What about the elementary schools?  Can you envision chaos?  Children being sent to schools that are closed or going to day care providers who aren't expecting them.  Yikes!

It boggles the mind to think about all the changes this would bring about.  It seems to me that life would be in a constant state of upheaval as families shifted between those periods of time when children would be in school and when they wouldn't.  I thought sorting out the who's going where and when, and who's got the car was already tough enough.  Imagine having to flip that schedule every month or so.  Can you say S-T-R-E-S-S? 

And so now it is September and we are returning to our version of normal and we are made glad.  There is a certain measure of comfort and peace that comes from routine.  Life is restored and all is well.  Even with its glitches from time to time we can count on things working.  It's like putting on an old comfortable sweater.  The colour may not be as bright as it once was, or it might be a wee bit misshapen, but it's ours, we feel good in it and it does the job.  We draw it close around us and settle down….much like we do with September.

Note to Self…  I don't really want a new sweater but I am ready, willing and able to wear it as I set forth to start another new year.  How about you?