Throw out your pens!

Ah, pens. Some prefer blue ink, some black, but most of us have a cup of pens somewhere. I noticed recently that I kept pulling the same pens out the cup, assessing the appropriateness of the pen, and putting it back in the cup. I don't like pens that have barrels that are too wide, too skinny, pens that write with glops or require several circles on a scrap piece of paper to convince them to work. Every job requires the proper tool, and my cup of pens was filled with tools that didn't quite cut the mustard.



I grant you, I am picky when it comes to my pens. Perhaps you are similarly afflicted, or perhaps you have chosen other things to be neurotic about. (Fold towels in thirds? Load the dishwasher a certain way? There has to be something...) So, pens are one of my "things".



One day, in a fit of pique, I decided that I deserved to have a cup full of pens that I like. Pens I enjoy writing with. A solid collection of pens so that every cup would have tons of writing options, all fit for immediate use. What a gift to give myself!



Oh, but how wasteful! To throw away pens with metal barrels simply because I don't like the way they feel in my hand? What would it mean to throw out a pen whose only sin was the occasional ink blob on the paper? Could I be that selfish?



Hell yes, I can be that selfish. I ruthlessly tossed away piles of pens, apologizing to them if I felt like I had hurt their feelings. It was hard, it took courage, but I threw out all the pens that didn't match my favorite pen criteria.



How Liberating! What a difference, to be able to reach into a pen cup at any given time, at any given day, and pull out a pen that would be up to the challenge of the moment. How much had those little moments of frustration and irritation built up over the course of a day? Not only was it an energy zapper, but confirmation of my secret belief that the world is out to piss me off.



I went to Target and bought a few boxes of my favorite pens. (Grand total: $8.47) I put them neatly in the pen cup, where they bristled importantly with the potential of writing great things. And now, whenever I need to write a grocery list (shut up, it happens sometimes) or jot a nag note, write a check, whatever...I can rely on my pen cup to have the right type of pen.



The message: Throw out your Pens! Get pens you actually like, instead of having a drawer or cup full of pens that annoy! It may seem selfish to give yourself this kind of gift, but you too deserve a cup of pens that meet your needs. You are allowed, you are worthy, you are entitled to chose your own pens.