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On this eve as my son gets ready for his final year of pre-school, we had to write out a list of goals he wants to achieve this year and give it to his teachers.

We talked about patience and sharing. 

He's excited about learning to read. 

And while he mentioned the need to figure out the difference of small and big letters when he's writing, it made me think about what he uses most of the time: pencils.

I haven't used a pencil since high school.  [The only exception is when I do my taxes] 

I'm pretty sure I didn't use them in college because I didn't consider it to be cool.  I don't know why I reached that conclusion as if some upperclassmen bully frowned on those who carried sharpeners instead of ballpoints.

My son is fascinated with pencils.  Colored ones.  Jumbo ones.  Even the small ones used on a golf scorecard.

Because of that, I've started using one more and more.

I know why I don't use pencils when I'm out in the field on my job.  Pencils don't work well in the cold.   And there's no good place to put one in the shirt pocket.  If I put it on my ear, I'm sure I'll forget about it when I'm on live. 

Sharpies are more my style.  They'll write on anything -- paper and plastic --  and won't smear when I'm doodling.

That said, there's still something to be said about the pencil.  As I use it, it makes me feel like I'm learning something.

Brian