pens & friends

I am half way around the world in Hong Kong and although I brought too much stuff with me I only brought one pen.  It is of course the pen that Paul Anderson created for me in his woodworking shop out of coco bola wood.  We had a great talk about how it is the same wood that Saul’s desk is made of in the wonderful “Better Call Saul” series.  And one day he just gave it to me.  As a friend.  Making pens is something he does and he just shared it with me.  That is something very rare, at least in my experience. Not the friend part, that happens sometimes, but the part where a skill like woodworking is used to create a token of friendship.

Paul is an artist.  He created this beautiful pen and gave it to me.  So now I am at the InterContinental Hotel in Hong Kong and they gave me a small gift for being in their club – a beautiful pen. It’s nice, but it can’t even come close to the one Paul made. Thank you Paul, for your friendship, for the pen, and for not being afraid to make something beautiful and give it to a friend. I hope I can create something beautiful one day and give it to you. Your friendship is much appreciated. More people should learn from you, learn what friendship is all about, learn how to create, take a chance, and give something away out of pure friendship

Yes, I need to learn this too. I’ve always believed that rational thought and rationality was or is the light in the darkness in this world. While it provides some structure around the things we are afraid of, rationality does not help in the least when wondering why cancer came visiting or why depression sets in then goes away, then returns again, or why dear friends are taken away from this world.

Now this coco bolo pen has travelled half way around the world with me. It is not just metal and wood and ink.  It has heart and soul and meaning and weight and it represents something tangible, something not easy to find in life – friendship.

Thank you my friend.  If I find a Miata with the steering wheel on the right side here I am bringing it back for you!

David