My beloved

The horrible has happened, a minor tragedy if I do say so myself. The zipper on my beloved green Jansport backpack was starting to act wonky, as old zippers are wont to do, so I decided to take matters into my own hands and try to repair it. And by "repair", I mean I smashed at it with a hammer. Before you start to question my sanity, let me report that this operation was a success. The zipper was back to its wonderful, working self. Then I noticed that part of it was slightly unaligned. On a high from my Miss Fix-it accomplishment, I proceeded to attack it again with my new best friend, the hammer. This time - crisis! It jammed and I couldn't pull it more than a few millimeters. I finally had to ask my dad for help and he told me to give it up. Well, at that point, I almost cried. You have to understand - I love this backpack. It's been with me since high school, and since I now teach kids fresh out of high school, that's a long time to hold onto something. I take it everywhere (including once to a nightclub where a bouncer promptly frisked it. Like anyone would be carting around explosives in a Jansport!). I suppose I'm getting to an age where backpacks aren't appropriate anymore, but...phooey. It's not a crime. Plus, it gets the job done, which is more than I can say for a lot of the carrying options available. But most of all - it's practically a part of me. You know, like Donald Trump with his combover or Mona Lisa and her inscrutable smile. More and more, I realize that things are changing and changing and changing, and I have to tell you, I'm not coping all that well. Never did like change, but this year, it's all about change. I'm full-gear into my job. I'm graduating from grad school in less than a month. People are quitting left and right all around me so I'm gonna have to make new friends. I've made some big decisions which have really made an impact on my life. Don't even let me get started on matters regarding the opposite sex. It feels like my life has been dumped into a blender on high. And I'm dizzy. So sue me for holding onto the little things. The little things keep me sane.

Final thought: God, help us keep the little things in focus.