Backpacking through college years

My Turn
By: Savannah Campbell
Posted: 10/11/07
I was walking across campus Thursday, struggling to carry the load I had gathered together for the day in my backpack, when I thought out loud, "It feels like I am carrying my entire life in this backpack."

I should clarify. By "entire life" I mean a collection of physical items that make me who I am.

My mind immediately replied to itself saying, "Well, if I were carrying my entire life in this backpack, I definitely wouldn't be carrying the items I had in it today."

My backpack is purple with seven zipped compartments, four small ones on the front and three larger ones behind those for books, notebooks, etc. There are also side areas for a cell phone or a drink bottle.

Usually, my load consists of no more than three books at a time and a notebook for each class. I always plan my schedule with at least an hour break for lunch around midday so I can eat and return some of the books (if possible) to my dorm room.

That day's load was especially heavy for two, specific reasons. One was I was going out of town to Columbus, Ohio, for the night and needed to bring my required daily toiletries and a change of clothes for the next morning.

The other was, in addition to these items, I packed the book and notebook I needed for my one Friday class.

With these two sets of items weighing my back down as I walked from Wallace to Powell to the library to Cammack, I continued to ponder my earlier thought.

What would I carry with me if I were carrying my entire life in the pack? Even more interesting is what would people I know carry if they were doing the same thing?

But, not to sound rude, other people are not the focus of this article; I am. For the next couple of paragraphs, it's all about my life backpack and me.

I think the first thing that makes me Savannah Campbell is my love for my family and friends. They are the people who are always there for me. They may not always be right on time, but they eventually come around.

I don't think I can fit my closest friends and family into my backpack though.

As a result, it's every photo I've ever had or taken of them that I choose to include in the bag first.

That way, when I meet a stranger on the street and begin to tell stories, they will have visuals to go with the details.

Friends and family aren't the only loved items in my life. I also love certain music bands and artists. To me, one of the greatest experiences in the world is hearing a favorite song on the radio.

I also like to spread this music to others, so at least they can say they've heard the song. I don't mind if they later tell me they don't like it (although if they said the opposite, I would be happier) as long as I at least played them a song they may not have heard otherwise.

So the next item to go into my backpack is my mp3 player, the same mp3 player I've been adding music to for almost six years now.

Over the last few years, I have also began to take pride in the two main talents I've been given in life. One of these is the one I recently decided I was destined to have.

It seems almost all of my life, people around me have been praising my writing ability, whether telling me I would write the great American novel or that they always saw me writing. I never seem to fully agree with the praising statements.

But I am weird because I still like to see what people think of what I call "crap writings." These stories, both news and creative fiction, are another set of items I would include in my backpack.

I do have a goal of one day publishing at least one novel-length book; maybe if I show these stories to the right stranger, I'll get into the publishing world.

My other semi-talent is photography, specifically 35 millimeter film photography. I know the world has turned from this to digital in a matter of mere years or less.

I don't care. I still love sending out film, getting back negatives and deciding which photo would make a good 8 by 10 print.

Not all my photos turn out spectacular, but that's OK. The ones that have are other items to be included in the Savannah Campbell backpack.

I would finally include a composition notebook I have been adding quotations to for years now.

These quotes range from sad to hilarious to famous to something a friend of mine might have said during a trivia game.

I love throwing a random quote from my collection or memory into a situation to help make it funnier or to help someone feel better.

It's just something that makes me the person I am today.

The items in my life backpack might not seem special, but I don't care.

They are the things that help to spell out the person who is Savannah Campbell.

Who knows? Maybe these items are similar to what makes you who you are. You never really know what you would carry in the backpack of your life until you stop and think about it. At least that's what happened with me last week.