The Sad Case of the Lost Object

I love pens, in fact I am a bit obsessed by them. Not fancy pens, just biros. There are certain biros that glide across the paper very smoothly and don't leave blots. Those are the objects of my desire.

At South Florida University (the religion conference), I was given a biro with a paper wrapping around the barrel. It felt so good. And I'm in constant fear of losing it. And last night I must have left it at the panel, or maybe I didn't even take it out of the plane—for when I looked, lo, it was gone.

And I call myself a Buddhist! I can't even let go of a little biro for Christ's sake! Happily OOO came to the rescue. I reasoned that even if I had the biro in my possession for the rest of its life, I wouldn't be able to grasp its essence. And now the biro is enjoying fresh fields and pastures new. The lucky bastard.