Free Pens

At my office there was a box of free pens and I helped myself to three
of them. I love free pens. I doubt that I will ever have a need to
purchase a pen because I have so many that I have acquired through the
past several decades.

Yes, I can obtain pens at work. Our office has a modest supply cabinet
including boxes of pens. However, it is the surprise pens that I
chance upon outside of work that delight me the most. These are the
pens that I see in hotel or bank lobbies, or trade shows, or
conferences.

Of course, the allure of the free pens are much more muted now that
we have electronic devices to type our notes into. Back in the 1990s,
a co-worker pointed out jokingly that I insisted writing things down
on paper even though I had a Palm Pilot complete with its own stylus
for writing.

Still, the free pen has a special hold on me. I wonder if it's a nod
to my frugal side or the side that wonders "can I ever have enough?" I
took three pens and placed them on my desk, next to a few other pens.
Someday I'll bring them home to my stash. You never know when you'll
need to write something down!