On the plane ride home today, my pen exploded.
I have carried a pen in my pocket since I was in grade 6 - despite the extra cargo, it has allowed me to doodle when I've been bored, write down ideas when the spirit moves me, and get contact information when I meet someone I want to see again. In over 20 years of carrying this type of pen (Uniball Micro), it's maybe exploded on me twice. Still, I realize that this is not an Earth shattering event. The thing that is significant: it made me realize I don't actually need a pen on hand anymore. I've had an iPhone for well over a year now and it does everything that a pen ever did for me. It's already loaded with all of my contacts, many lists, various brainwaves, and maps of anywhere I want to go. It has replaced my home phone, my old flip phone, my PDA (remember those?!), my point & shoot digital camera, and now MY PEN. **recalling Kids in the Hall sketch**
And yes, I realize this may be the most boring blog post ever written, filled with all kinds of obvious - but sometimes something needs to explode before you recognize the simple thing that's been in front of you all along.