My “To Do” list is very long currently, which means I am inspired to do that which is NOT on my “To Do” list: write. I’ve a small problem, though. This blog is supposed to be about things that feed me, nourish me. However, the things I have on my brain right now are not feeding me—they’re actually making me want to vomit. It’s an election year, my friends; trust me, you don’t want me to spew what’s really on my mind at the moment.
So, I’m giving you the joy of rescuing me. Give me a word, any word. I’ll use it to write my next blog entry. Obviously, if I have more than one rescuer, I’ll have to choose which word to use. I’ll try not to play favorites. If I was really blog savvy, I’d have some kind of contest. But, I’m not blog savvy. I do, however, promise what I write using your word will not be about politics. Well, okay, maybe I shouldn’t promise. What I will promise is whatever I write will be written with a positive slant. Fair enough?
To inspire you to come up with a word, I’ve added a LOOKBACK from three days shy of five years ago. This one was really fun to write because with just the one word given I was able to pull from my memory something I truly doubt would have ever been unearthed without it.
The word was “pencil”…
LOOKBACK: October 26th, 2007
Need a Social Life? Get a Pencil
The year was…well, never mind, but I was in the seventh or eighth grade at the time. And stuck in a VERY boring history class. I tell you the teacher never smiled or got up from her desk. She was a rather large woman and would sit with her whole body leaning onto the top of her desk as she spoke to us. She spoke abruptly, gave the instructions for the chapter reading and set us in motion to do the assignment for the rest of the class period.
This was an advanced class; most of us were finished with the required assignment in less than fifteen minutes. We used the remainder of the class period for a study hall or note-passing opportunity…until she caught on to our note-passing. She was no nonsense; note-passing got you sent out of class with no questions asked. Since we were “do-gooders” and the thought of going to the principal’s office actually horrified us, we stopped the note-passing…at least the conventional way.
For awhile we all resorted to just accepting the fact that we had a study hall disguised as a history class. The problem was that most of us were over-achievers and had already completed all of our assignments (and then some) for all the rest of our classes. We were bored with a capital “B”!
I don’t remember who came up with the plan, but I played along with it because the cutest guy in the class was the one who clued me in on the scheme. Here’s what we did to solve our boredom: someone would write a note to someone, “accidently” break a pencil lead and walk to the back of the room to sharpen it.
As the person was sharpening his or her pencil, each person in the room would cleverly glance toward the pencil sharpener. The “sharpener person” would wink at the person with whom the note was addressed, drop the note in the trash can under the sharpener, and strut back to his or her seat.
An appropriate time would lapse and the addressee would “accidently” break his or her pencil, head to the back of the room presumably to sharpen it, “accidently” drop his or her pencil into the trash can, retrieve the note, and proceed to sharpen his or her pencil.
Rumor had it that the cutest guy in the class was going to write me a note during the next day’s class session. I was beet red as I watched him the next day begin the walk to the pencil sharpener. I was never to find out the truth to the rumor, though. Just at that moment, the babysitter, oh, I mean teacher, in the front of the room leaned over her desk, raised an eyebrow and bellowed, “Sharpen your pencil quickly, Mr. ___, I’m watching.” She was on to us.
Today we probably would have been text messaging or writing emails from our laptops.
This entry was a part of the HSB Community Blog Tip Challenge of the Month. Head on over to there for more pencil stories.
Many Blessings,
Holly