Where is my pen?!

This morning, I went to school to upload the attendance of my advisory class. The schedule of uploading as was posted in our group chat was morning for the first trimester and afternoon for the second trimester. July will be the schedule for the uploading of the third trimester attendance.

Around 10:30, I arrived at school. The uploading was done very quickly. The system being developed by our school programmers improves by the years.

I thought of eating my lunch at the canteen during lunch break instead of going home and coming back to school. I thought of just waiting for the 1 pm schedule and be done with the uploading before finally going home.

So I went to the canteen to push with my plan. Before pandemic, I had the habit of treating our school’s canteen as my favorite place. While I eat my food, I usually scribble things. It’s my favorite thing to do.

I ordered two sets. The portions were little anyway. I then decided to stay at a table where my back was facing the wall so my paper will face the wall instead of being picked easily by onlookers.

I laid my food on the table. Just before eating, I wanted to bring my paper and pen out. I was searching every part of my bag to see where I could find a pen but I remembered I put down the notebook on the table at home and in that notebook, a pen was inserted. Where is my pen?!

I felt really really annoyed with myself! How come I don’t have a pen on my bag? The lazy me. I bet I used a pen then left it lying around somewhere in our house. I used another and was very reluctant to put it back on my bag.

I always populated my bag with a lot of pens just so I have a lot to use only to have nothing when I needed it the most. That mentality where I always think that I have a lot anyway.

Good thing that our school’s bookstore is just inside the school canteen. I finished my food. I cleaned up and went to the bookstore.

I asked for the cheapest. The cheapest pen works equally amazingly anyway so I have no problem with cheap pens as long as they do not blot and that ink comes out of them when I write.

What a joy to finally have a pen in my hand! I still had an hour to kill before 1 pm so I enjoyed writing. What did I write? Just list of things to do and bills to pay.

I had three little notebooks aside from the scrap papers that I always make sure to have in my bag. I brought one of the little notebooks out. I reviewed what were contained in it. I returned it in my bag and did the same for the other two.

I then took out a scrap paper then began jotting things down. A column for dates, another column for things to do beside each date. Then notes here and there beside dates or events.

I felt satisfied doing such things. I am in loved with my aloneness. It gives me some sense of space that I get to think for myself, for my plans, for my future. Most of all, I get to pray on my own. I simply close my eyes as if I am sleeping and communicate with the Almighty.

When I sit down on the table a pen is a usual sight. I can’t work without ballpen.

So I made a resolution to always see to it that I have a pen before I venture out of our house.

Oh my pen! I love you so much. Pen coupled by paper. Of course, I can’t deny it’s also best to have the calculator lying around. Though I have the cellphone in case there is no calculator.

I stopped with my ruminations when the clock struck 12:46. I went to the computer room and had to patiently wait for 1 pm. I uploaded the attendance then decided it was time to go home.

I felt the ballpen in place on one small bag inside my big bag. I scolded myself for being so mindless sometimes. How could I forget to put even just one pen in my bag before going out of the house?

Where is my pen?! Oh, here it is. It hid beneath the right side of the laptop.