Thinking in pencil

📖 “Thinking in Pencil”

July 4, 2025 – A Woman’s Wondering

I can’t think in pen.
I’ve tried—but my mind rebels. Something about that permanent, inky stroke makes me feel boxed in… like I’m supposed to know the answer before I’ve even begun. It’s too final. Too loud.

But give me a pencil—an old school wooden one, not a fancy clutch kind—and suddenly my thoughts exhale. I don’t even mind sharpening it with my old steel sharpener, the kind that leaves little curls of wood behind like soft confetti. The sound of it sliding across the page? It soothes me. It says, you don’t need to know everything just yet. You’re allowed to explore.

Maybe it’s the erasability.
Maybe it’s the texture.
Maybe it’s because pencil feels like an invitation, not a verdict.

It’s a quiet little freedom to start without knowing where I’ll end up—to doodle in the margins, to scribble a half-thought, to draw a line and follow it just to see if it takes me anywhere good.

I think most of us have our own version of this.

Maybe for you, it’s a chipped mug, or your side of the bed, or your favorite mixing bowl that just feels right in your hands. It’s like using someone else’s laptop—even if it’s the same model, same buttons, same settings, something feels… off. The fit isn’t there. You feel a little bit clumsy. A little bit stupid.

That’s how I feel with a pen.

But put a pencil in my hand, and somehow I remember who I am again. Not because I have all the answers, but because I’m allowed to make soft mistakes.
I think in pencil.
I dream in pencil.
And maybe that’s enough.

“In quietness and trust shall be your strength.” – Isaiah 30:15

With smudged fingers and sharpened grace,
– Lezanne 🌸

Do you have a “pencil” too—something that helps you think, dream, or just feel more like yourself? I’d love to hear about it. 💛