Happy Ball Point Pen Day! Of all the things we are surrounded by who would have thought the humble and ubiquitous ballpoint pen would have its own day? Well it just goes to show that the little things we take for granted today were a big deal to some one at some point. A quick little history lesson, in June of 1943 the brothers, László and György Bíró, became owners of US Patent 2,390,636 – better known around the world as the ball point pen. Ball Point Pen Day is a time to appreciate this rarest of things: a design classic that is accessible to everyone. Although they were once a revolutionary little invention to put ease of use and quick drying ink in the palm of your hand, and replace the not much older fountain pen, today ball point pens come in an incredible array of options. Not only can you get them in all colors of ink but you can find pens in any style that perfectly fits your particular grip, has the size point you desire, and you can get in boxes of 20 for $5 or a single pen in an inlaid wood case for several hundred. Simply put there is a pen for everyone and you will be hard pressed to find another way to express yourself that so perfectly fits you. If nothing else, its something to chew on while you hack your next email out on your keyboard. And that's the lesson for today. You have the tools at hand so take some time to express yourself. So much of what we offer of ourselves to others is limited to Tweets, Texts, and Tik Toks. Emojis only exist to help make these media less cold and emotionless and dumb. We all know how little they convey relative to a good face-to-face conversation. We have all just had a year in lessons of how awkward even face-to-face conversations can be when on screens. If you can't talk in-person, then the next best thing is to actually write out your message. There's something about writing things out by hand - and this has been studied - that allows us to put much more of ourselves and our intention into a hand-written message. There's also great value in writing things out just for ourselves. It helps get things we keep bottled up inside out in front of us so we can look at it differently. If you are into journaling take a few minutes every day or once a week to put your thoughts on paper that you can look back on in the future to reflect on your journey. If you're having troubles with someone or something in your life, then write out a letter to them that you will never send; say everything you want to say without repercussion and then throw that letter away and move on. You'll be surprised how well that works. If you're feeling lost in the direction you want to take in life, or your career, or relationships then write that all down. Written goals are much more likely to be achieved and seeing them in front of you lets you think about them in a more objective way. You can then post them where you will see them every day and you can even share them with others to help keep you accountable. Putting things on paper gets it out of your head. It can help move you from confusion to clarity. And you can do that with nothing more than a piece of paper and a ballpoint pen. Just as a heads up, Letter Writing Day is September 1st. So why don't you pick up a pen and start writing notes to your friends or loved ones. Following hugs and handshakes there are few more effective means for making connections with others than sending handwritten notes and in our digital age they are increasingly rare. After so long apart sending notes is a great way to reconnect with those we haven't seen in a long time and begin to renew those bonds.
