By Darij Kulchyckyj | | Contributing Writer
Many people like to choose a judgment of character and personality via spending time with others, music taste, favorite food, favorite color, nut allergy, and the most important: astrology. These are all subpar tests to the case. I offer a better alternative, a solution actually, to figuring out if you would click with another individual. I realize that since I click with everybody, I have the most perfect personality which is best reflected by the contents of my back pack.
I begin with the exterior items that lie on my backpack. On the left pocket side, I carry my favorite Lumineers water bottle, with a rusted lid that has a broken handle. The water bottle was purchased and all proceeds went towards some form of fighting climate change. Not only is it an incredible conversation starter, but it just shows I’m an experienced water bottle user via the broken lid.
On the right pocket, I carry my trusted zinc vitamins that I take before participating in strenuous activities: like getting bagels with my friends or singing a cappella. I am always willing to share a zinc supplement with my friends, as I never run out.
On the backpack handle I have my handy green bandana that hasn’t been washed in about 2 years, the occasional Maryland Visor, and a Philadelphia Flyers cap that represents the most depressing team in sports history. I am always ready to keep the sun and my hair out of my eyes, and protect my scalp from UV radiation whenever it is necessary.
Diving deep into my backpack we see my class essentials, my laptop which is enclosed by a case that I have had since freshman year of high school, my three notebooks for my classes, a bunch of chewed up and broken pencils, a potential pen (those are variables as they come in and out of my backpack), lost papers, guitar/bass picks, band aids, and pencil shavings. It’s not spotless, but it highlights my imperfections. And flaws are beautiful.
Moving onto the second pocket you get an insight on who I really am. In the minipocket of the second pocket you will find a social security card, passport, and pencil sharpener. I’m always ready for an adventure and ready to write anything. You also see the most crucial identity numbers that represent me and not everybody gets to see that!
In front of the mini pocket is an extra pair of socks, “insurance deodorant” –in case I feel as if I smell–, a jar of nutella that works for almost every occasion, a mini pot and fern in case I am in the mood to grow a christmas tree, some more broken pencils, a singular garden glove, sometimes my toothbrush and toothpaste in case I don’t have time to brush teeth before coming to class and I need to pop in the bathroom to relinquish the bad breath that I potentially possess, eyedrops to fight off the nasty pollen monsters, and finally my sexy sunglasses that make me 3x more attractive.
Now I’m not a perfect person, and my backpack contents can attest to that. But as I mentioned earlier, beauty lies in the imperfections, because in reality nobody is perfect. And sometimes people simply don’t get along with you. And that’s ok! Maybe it’s because you smell or are ugly, or maybe it might be because you’re awkward, super organized/super unorganized, or don’t carry nutella in the middle pocket of the backpack. Or maybe it’s none of that. And you’re two different people that simply do not click –like the broken potential pens that I carry in the first pocket. That is normal. What I’m trying to say is, if someone likes your backpack for what it is, no matter the bizarre things it may carry, that’s pretty special and dope, but it doesn’t mean you have to like them, but on the rare occasion that it is mutual – hold on to it, like your backpack holds on to you.
Sophomore Darij Kulchyckyj is a contributing writer. His email address is dkulchyc@fandm.edu.
Photo courtesy of the lovely, heart-warming Abigail Glickman.