New crayons, paper and binders…ahh, a trip to my favorite place, the office supply store.  Isn’t ‘back to school’ a wonderful time of year? Parents are happy to get their kids back in a routine, teachers are happy and refreshed, kids are (usually) ready to see their classmates…it’s a pretty joyous occasion for all involved.

I miss the ‘new year’ feeling that the first day of school always brought me.  Now that school is long gone and we’ve started our careers, we still need to get new supplies, refresh our routine and feel good again about the start of a new year.  What will we accomplish this year, who will we meet? I get a small feeling of this on January 2nd with my new desk calendar…but nothing like all those first days of school.

In July, I was at a conference and the speaker said that one of the top ten smells that bring back childhood memories, is the smell of a new box of crayons. Do you remember that smell? Is there anything in your work life now that brings you as much joy as a new box of crayons did when you were a child?   If not… then go buy yourself a box of crayons!