By Terry C. Misfeldt

When I first transitioned from lead (graphite) pencils to ink filled writing devices, I was of the belief the pen I used would never run out of ink. It was a miracle. I couldn’t stop writing long-hand. I tried to see when that pen, probably a Bic, would dry up. I burned through a spiral notebook and the pen kept working.

Eventually, the pen dried up. Since it was non-refillable, it had to be discarded.

Fast forward to the modern era of laptops and smart phones. Pens rarely run out of ink due to be used rarely. People have mostly forgotten how to write letters, stuff them in an envelope, and put them in the mailbox to be delivered to a loved one or friend. Now it’s a text or an E-mail (getting more rare) or a post on social media.

Yet, old habits are hard to stop.

I still send cards to friends and family. I still write my daily journal long-hand in a spiral notebook with an ink-filled pen. And, yes, the purpose of this story is that I have gone through hundreds of pens. When the ink dries up, the pen is trashed. It’s thrown away!

At least with a pencil stub, there’s a little bit of eraser left…and maybe more.

What do you throw away?