Sharpened Pencils

 Ever since I was a little girl I have loved new stationery and sharp pencils and colouring books. The new stationery purchased at the beginning of a school year was like a gift not related to a birthday or Christmas and it symbolised in its own small way that it was time for a new beginning.

Colouring pencils and colouring books were something my mother always purchased for us when we were going on a holiday - usually involving a long car drive and staying with relatives. I guess she knew that they would provide us entertainment and the adults some quiet time. I relished getting a new colouring book and the promise its clean pages held - this time I was going to make sure I carefully coloured inside the lines! There was a sense of possibility within those pages that I can still recall.

As an adult the craze of adult colouring books several years ago allowed me to legitimately indulge in that childhood feeling again. I enjoyed purchasing a book and a set of pencils for myself that I can keep sharpened and at the ready. The impetus to do this faded with time, as all fashions do, but I held onto the book and my pencil case of colours. Being in lockdown with hours stretching ahead of me gives me the perfect opportunity to get my books out again and get those pencils sharpened. The satisfaction of turning the pencil sharpener, the shavings peeling away and the reveal of the pointed tip is there for every pencil.

Sitting and quietly colouring again I can find my mind quietening as I still focus to colour inside the lines. Free entertainment to enjoy and its supposedly good for my wellbeing too!