It was two years ago that I came clean about one of my many quirks. On National Ballpoint Pen Day, I admitted to my 20-year habit of carrying pens in my pocket.

I explained that not only did hauling the pens around prove useful to me, it also proved useful to others. I became addicted to the brief heroic status I would receive when someone was in desperate need of a pen and I could swoop in and provide them a writing utensil during their time of need.

Up until last week I still carried pens in my pocket. But things have changed. You see, shortly after I wrote the Thursday Rundown that mentioned my pen habit, I made an upgrade. At work they had these fancy ballpoint pens from Office Depot. They were night and day compared to the branded cheap ballpoint pens I would pick up at a restaurant or hotel and slightly better (okay…much better) quality than my personal Don’t Blink pens that proved to be such a sensational hit. These Office Depot pens wrote so effortlessly and legibly that I started buying them myself.

It was a big deal when I got my branded Don’t Blink pens.

But about a year ago I had my first incident. While wearing a new pair of khakis, I looked down at my pants and gasped in horror when I noticed the left pant leg was covered with a dark substance. It took me a moment to realize the mess was from one of my Office Depot pens that exploded. I removed the pen, covering my hands with ink in the process. My keys were also covered in ink as they share a pocket with my pens. Despite Sid’s best efforts with stain remover and our washer, the pants were beyond ruined.

These are the Office Depot ballpoint pens that I have used for the past 18 months or so.

You think I would learn, right? Sadly, it has taken three other pairs of ink-drenched pants to get to this present moment where I am not carrying pens in my pocket. In my opinion, this discontinuation of a tradition is even more scandalous than when I stopped eating peanut butter sandwiches on a daily basis. But I simply can’t continue to ruin pants, right?

This is a pair of jeans that survived a less extreme explosion. Nonetheless, it still has a permanent stain.

My plan is not to have this current hiatus last forever. I needed to take a break and assess things. What I came to grips with was that the pens exploding in my pocket was not random. The incidents occurred when I would do a physical activity that I usually wouldn’t do in pants…like this past Saturday at our retreat when we went on a short hike. Sure enough, that stroll triggered an explosion. Once I start carrying again, I need to be much more cognizant of removing any pens if I do even the slightest of physical activities. I have also come to the conclusion that I need to revert to carrying just the basic ballpoint pens instead of the fancy utensils I have grown so fond of.

Regardless of what it looks like on the exterior, most of my pants are covered in dry ink in the left pocket.

If you see me in the near future, please don’t laugh at the noticeable ink stains on the exterior of my left pocket that many of my pants now sport. Are the pant stains worth my moments of heroism when I bust out a pen for someone who really needs it? Nah, I don’t think so. Don’t Blink.

Sloan likes to get into Trouble. And by “Trouble” I mean the board game. Our family received the game for Christmas and have played it countless times over the past few months. It joins Sequence for Kids, Guess Who, and Candy Land as board games our family plays frequently.

We got Trouble for Christmas and immediately started playing it. Sloan gets pretty competitive!

But back to the “Trouble” part. Sloan likes to win and when that doesn’t happen, she can become unglued. She will tense up, pout, and raise her voice. A common recourse for her is to beg that we play again so she has another chance at glory. If her wish isn’t granted, she gets angrier.

Although the behavior doesn’t impress us by any means, we also recognize it as age appropriate. Sid and I hope that tasting defeat now and expelling her bad behavior as a 6-year-old will prepare her so that she will win with class and lose with grace as she gets older.

Sequence for Kids is a great game for young children that introduces strategic thinking.

This philosophy was challenged last week. While returning home from dropping Sloan off at school, I was listening to a Sirius channel I enjoy. A certain advice program was on at the time. The two hosts, who have child psychology backgrounds, took a call from a grandma. This particular caller mentioned that on Easter her family played a board game. Her 5-year-old grandchild was not victorious and could not be consoled for the rest of the holiday. The grandma expressed shock at how intense this child’s lack of sportsmanship was and asked the hosts for advice.

To be honest, I was surprised when both hosts agreed that children under the age of 7 should not play “win/lose” games. The hosts main reason for this recommendation was that children Sloan’s age and under can’t properly put the results of a board game in proper perspective. Young kids, the hosts explained, almost view the outcome of a board game as life or death, thus creating unnecessary stress on them.

Sloan playing Candy Land outside.

Additionally, just the concept of a child competing against everyone else has negative connotations, according to the hosts. It causes isolation and a diminished sense of self.

As for solutions, the hosts recommended “collaborative games” instead of “win/lose” games. The concept wasn’t backed up with examples (at least during the time I was listening) so I don’t really know what a “collaborative game” entails, but in this day and age I am sure a lot of them exist. Also, they suggested that if a win/lose game must be played, that teams are made and a child is paired with an adult. With this arrangement, the weight of defeat doesn’t fall squarely on the shoulders of the child. Furthermore, when the loss occurs, the child can commiserate with a trusted adult in the agony that is felt.

I am having a difficult time accepting the advice of these radio hosts. In my mind, I feel like tough lessons about losing should be taught and experienced at a young age. With that said, I do recognize the anguish that losing a board game has on Sloan so perhaps they are on to something? I am turning to my readers for advice. What is the proper approach? To play or not to play? Don’t Blink.

On Sunday evening, Beau and I stopped at Papa Murphy’s to get a pizza to bring home. I ordered a family-sized pie (half pepperoni, half cheese) and before the pre-made crust was even unwrapped to go down the ingredient line, the dreaded prompt was already flashing on the payment screen: How much did I want to tip?

Full disclosure: I have never worked in the service industry before. With that said, I know I might come across as sounding ignorant, cheap, and ungrateful. However, I think the pandemic trend of adding a tip to every single food transaction needs to go away.

I am a big proponent of giving my Olive Garden server 20% for her efforts. The re-filling of soda glasses, the attention to detail, the initiative to grate cheese on everything, and the hustle to always have a basket of hot breadsticks at the table is appreciated. All these things encompass a service that goes beyond just the price of the food. I feel it should be rewarded with a gratuity.

But let’s go back to the Papa Murphy’s example. On the payment screen, a 20% gratuity option was wedged next to other gratuity percentages. Before making the final purchase, I had to navigate this tipping prompt even though I had not received any type of special service. Was I really supposed to add the same percentage of gratuity on a take-and-bake pizza that I usually reserve for someone who waits on me hand and foot? AND, even if Papa Murphy’s did wait to ring me up until after they topped the crust with sauce, cheese, and pepperoni was that 30 seconds of labor worthy of any type of tip, let alone the 10%-20% range?

Perhaps the gratuity prompt on the payment screen is just the modern day equivalent of a tip jar. After all, I didn’t let the glass container with a handwritten plea for loose change ruffle my feathers. But maybe the requirement to make a gratuity decision as part of the transaction under the watchful eye of an employee is a little more obtrusive.

In my opinion, solicitations for tips where little-to-no service is rendered equates to nothing more than a money grab. It’s not just Papa Murphy’s—everyone is doing it these days. Let’s not dilute the significance of a tip. People can spend their money how they want, but I do feel a tip should be applied for quality service rendered and not an obligatory tax levied on every sandwich, pizza, and smoothie sold at the counter. Don’t Blink.