“You just have to live and life will give you pictures.”
Henri Cartier-Bresson
I do not always know what will be found between the lines of the pages on my journal. But for over 20 years I’ve taken my pen in hand and opened myself to those blank pages. Words then come, as a gift. And, I think life will also give us words as well as pictures.
“Beauty is not in the face; beauty is a light in the heart .” – Kahlil Gibran
We are experiencing overcast mornings, giving the feel of autumn, yet still warm. It was a morning for an americano.The diffused light was just what I needed to pull the camera out.
This is the first of a series of short stories about a pen. It is an idea conceived by Faye White when she made a comment on one of my posts. We have agreed to come up with four stories about a pen and its travels. You may say it’s a strange idea or concept, but hopefully entertaining. For me, the pen in these four stories has an encounter with someone. Its task is to empower those who use it to bring their ideas, thoughts, dreams and visions on paper. I intend to post each story on four consecutive Sundays. I also encourage you to visit and enjoy Faye’s story here. Leave us comments to let us know you stopped by, we’d appreciate it.
This story begins when a young man fresh from college walks into a small gift shop called the Pen and Prose located in Reagan National Airport. Just inside the entrance to the small shop was a tall glass display case filled with pens and mechanical pencils. The lighting and presentation of the display drew the attention of the casual traveler to the wide assortment of writing instruments. However, the beauty and elegance of one of the pens caught the young man’s attention. It was so elegant, something he had never thought of owning. He wandered around the store for a while, not really looking to buy anything, but lingering near the pen. He stopped to look once more before leaving the store then asked to see the pen. Yes, it felt good in his hands. The weight of the pen allowed the roller tip to easily move across the paper and that dark black ink popped on the page. Now that it was in his hand he knew he would have a difficult time putting it down. Even though the price was more than he wanted to spend, the pen had found its first owner.
He used it at today’s meeting, jotting down notes, listing ideas and helping the customer set their goals and to be successful. The pens’ large silver body and gold trim gave it a look of importance and also caught the eye of his client. When his client asked about the pen it allowed any walls of apprehension or nervousness to come down and opened up the way for a successful meeting for everyone.
Later that evening back at the hotel, he would use the pen to journal about the day. It felt good to write with this pen and he was thankful he’d purchased it. It had been a good day!
This is my favorite pen for journaling and the newest and smallest journal I’ve ever used. I found a pen just like this one on the street one day and fell in love with it immediately. I carried it around for a month or two before I lost it. It was so enjoyable to use I searched around until I found one. Way too expensive but some things are just worth it. I like how the pen and the moleskin work together for me.