This post is from nearly eight years ago, as is probably obvious from the homeschool references. That was my oldest’s senior year. My how times have changed.
The point, however, has not. In fact, the idea of the conjunction of flexibility and commitment really fits as a solid Tool Box addition. No matter what we’re gathering tools for, this combination is essential! So, today you get a reshare. And yes, there are links, but I do not get any kind of kickback for either reference. (Also, there are a TON more options on the Frixion pens than just the ones I linked to. Just as a hint of warning if you tend to go down rabbit holes of exploration!)
Hope you’re enjoying building your own tool boxes! May these thoughts be helpful in the process.
Sometimes, life really comes down to the practical. No deep lessons. No profound thoughts. Just basic and practical.
Sometimes as I ponder depth and meaning and how to surrender to the surgery I desperately need the Lord to do on the deep parts of my heart, mind, and habits, I forget just how important those basic and practical things are.
Like erasable ink.
Several years ago, a friend introduced me to Frixion pens. I’d never liked erasable pens because they never seemed to really erase. But these? Oh my word…they work!! And I became addicted! They’re pretty and fun and a treat to use. They add a little pizazz to life.
But, there’s more to these pens than just fun. There are actually two reasons I really, really like the idea of being able to use erasable ink pens, especially in my planners.
Flexibility
The first really is obvious. I always function better when I can plan ahead, and sometimes I need to plan FAR ahead. But the truth is that life changes. Plans change. I need to be able to erase and make changes, both in my personal planner (the Mommy brain, as my kids call it) and in my homeschool planner. It’s just a necessity.
But, that can be done in pencil, can’t it? Yes, it can. And, for a long time, it was done in pencil. Erasable colored pencils, to be certain, because I color code. In the homeschool planner, each child has a color for independent work and a color for work I do with them (read-alouds, etc.). In my personal planner, I have separate colors for general family life, school, work, church, writing, and personal development. It saves space, helps me keep it all distinguished, and helps me not overlook tasks and activities. Color is my friend.
But, why ink?
Commitment
While pencil works well for flexibility, it doesn’t work well – at least mentally – for commitment. You’ve probably heard the phrase, “I’ll pencil you in.” More often than not, that means plans will change. We are not committed to penciled-in obligations, tasks, and events.
Yes, it’s mental. And yes, it’s something we might just need to get over. But, for me, being able to use ink instead of pencil helps with that mental commitment – even if they are equally erasable. There’s just something about seeing it in ink that solidifies a task, event, or other commitment in my mind.
It’s just a little thing. But sometimes those little things make the deeper things more feasible. Even something as little, as practical, as basic as using erasable ink.
