Of Pencils and Responsibility

I lost my pencil this morning.
But it will hopefully still turn up.
In school I remember quite often letting people borrow a pencil or pen, but I almost never let them actually use the pen or pencil that I always used. I kept backup ones, and those are the ones I lent out.
I have had the pencil I lost this morning since my junior year of college (I think). I lost my previous pencil down a crevice between a bolted in couch and a wall outside my History of Clothing class. I was very sad when I lost that pencil because it was one I had used every day on my mission.
The point, I suppose, is that some people see things like pencils or folders as completely dispensable. I am a little bit more possessive about such things.
Speaking of folders, I got really upset in my sophmore year of high school when an acquaintance stabbed my English folder with his pencil and left a hole in it. But don't worry I was still using it my senior year of college.
Both the pencils in question happen to be mechanical, and the folder was plastic, so they are pretty good quality. I still think my protection of them has more to do with using them up until they aren't useful anymore than actual any sentimental value. Plus, I personally see it as responsible not to be losing your pencil all the time.
So is that enough about pencils?

My high school and college folders. Typically green was science, blue english (yes the one mentioned), and purple was miscellaneous.

I didn't do a picture of my pencil... because it's lost.

Ownership: Part 2: Creativity

I wanted a CD case for multiple CDs so I went to a thrift store and found one for a dollar. The only problem was that someone had painted "DVD" on it badly. And crossed something else off of it. It was kind of ugly. But I decided that instead of always looking at it and thinking "wow that's ugly" I would so something about it. So I painted it. (Too bad I didn't take before and after pictures, just after).

Now everytime I look at it, it makes me happy.
So going back to my first post on ownership... This was a choice, but the choice was only half the battle, I also had to be creative with it.

Ownership

I have never had anything against dandelions, and I suppose I still don't but this summer when I looked out on the lawn and saw them blooming everywhere it kind of annoyed me and I thought “I can do something about that.” So I did. For the last two weeks I have spent between 15 and 25 minutes pulling dandelions out of the lawn. I'm surprised at how well it actually worked. When I started I stayed within a ten foot radius crawling around on my knees, last time I did it I spent quite a bit of the time walking around looking for them. Which brings me to two main points. First, small and simple things are effective, even just for a few minutes a day. Second: Ownership. Feeling ownership over something makes a big difference and that ownership can come from chance, or choice. Before when my Mom asked me to pick dandelions I did, but it was more just a chore than me actually caring how things would work out, and whether I got rid of them all or not. This time because I choose to care, I did. I find that to be the case in a lot of situations, it's kind of amazing what a difference it can make. When I feel ownership I tend to be more diligent, I care more, and I'm more responsible. So here are two other examples:

Toy Bank: My brother picked it out for me and gave it to me for Christmas when I was about seven. It makes me sad when my nieces and nephews make the door fall off or clog the coin chute, and other toys that we have around some equally old and equally remembered but never “mine” I don't care about quite as much.

Driving Across the Country with my Sister: I've driven (or perhaps more appropriately ridden) across the country numerous times but this time with my sister I did a little less than half the driving, I got one of the two hotel keys every night, and when I wasn't driving I was appeasing children or navigating. I felt more invested and more proud of it as an accomplishment than I have on other trips.