I have a confession.
I’m an addict. And the drug of choice is fountain pens.
Ok, all drama aside, I love to write with vintage (and nu skool) fountain pens. The way the ink flows out of the pointed nib onto the paper is reminiscent of something from years gone by-when people actually wrote things by hand in a journal or even on a napkin. The smell of the paper and the ink, along with the feeling of a finely tuned writing instrument ignites the senses.
It was my good friend Dave who got me hooked on pens. You could say that he was my dealer. He is a collector par excellence, and he gave me MANY pens over the years. I used them daily, enjoyed writing with them…and then stopped.
I have no idea why.
Maybe it was because I was busy on my Macbook Pro, or maybe it was because I got lazy and didn’t want to rinse out pens or refill them when they ran out of ink.
Regardless of the reason, I lost the discipline of writing with a fountain pen.
Rekindling the Fire Within
Thankfully, over the last several months I have picked them up again. And now I can’t stop. I write with better clarity through pen and paper than on the computer keyboard, especially in the initial stages of a blog, sermon or book outline. I can draw arrows, cross out words, and scribble little notes and observations in the margins with a pen. Sure, all of this can be done digitally; it’s just not quit the same.
I have rediscovered the joys of handwriting with my MontBlanc, Schaeffer and Lamy pens. And I’m so glad I have. Now I wonder why I stopped in the first place, and why it took so long to get back to them.
What is your “Fountain of Joy?”
Is there an activity, hobby or sport that you have left dormant because of your work, family or general life busyness?
Is your life more greyscale than 4k color?
If so, maybe this is the reminder you need to go back to that love that brought joy and a diversion from the drudgery of the daily grind.
Go Back to Move Forward
In the book of Revelation Jesus calls his church in Ephesus to return to their first love (Revelation 2:4). The once vibrant relationship with Jesus and others the Ephesians enjoyed eventually faded out. They simply existed rather than living life to the fullest. So Jesus called them back to himself.
A Kellogg’s Corn Flakes ad from years ago encouraged people to “taste them again for the first time.” Kellogg’s knew that many kids who grew up on a steady diet of their cereal had not eaten their brand in years. This ad was a reminder to check them out again.
Jesus makes the same offer to us.
There is no better time than the present to taste Jesus again for the first time. The Psalmist cries out “Taste and see the Lord is good” (Psalm 34:8).
So, pick up and dust off whatever sport, hobby or activity you have neglected.
And don’t forget to include Jesus!