For over 50 years I have devoted my life to learning everything there is to know about office supplies and transforming that knowledge into marketing and selling to the masses the “jewels” of our industry.
Yes---I am a “Pencil Salesman”---a purveyor of goods and services to a hungry clientele, dependent on my ability to supply them with all the necessary tools to accomplish great things in the arena of commerce and capitalism.
What an awesome responsibility!
My intense and detailed study of the most basic office supply item ---the wooden pencil---has revealed characteristics that prove to be instructive for the discerning customer, as well as seekers of a well-lived and productive life.
There are two distinct categories of the common writing pencil. First, all retailers offer a low-priced “street fighter” version to compete with the larger “big boxes.” In our case this style pencil is known as a “number two Bondex.”
Conversely, our top-of-the-line pencil is a version named “number two Eagle Mirado.” For generations clients wanting only the best in wood-cased writing instruments always specified and ordered Eagle Mirado.
To the uneducated eye, both style pencils looked exactly the same. They both sport a yellow wood casing, a ruby tip eraser banded with gold metal, and black writing on the case of the pencil identifying the model and degree of lead. Holding both models up. side by side, reveals practically no difference in outward appearance.
The difference between the two models is only realized when it is time to sharpen the pencil before first use. The “Bondex” model---the cheaper version---is quickly reduced in size by the initial sharpening. The wood casing is much softer on a Bondex pencil and as a result, much more of the wood case is eaten away with the first and subsequent sharpening. The consumer is very lucky if the Bondex pencil will stand for more than three or four sharpenings before being reduced to such a small size that it is no longer useful.
On the other hand, the Eagle Mirado---comprised of a much harder wood case---will withstand multiple sharpening’s. It is not unusual for a Mirado to last more than a semester for a diligent student, or for a cost-conscious office worker.
Both pencils look exactly the same, in fact in a blind test many consumers will actually select the Bondex pencil as the more attractive product. The real difference in the quality of the pencil is what is inside. While the Bondex has soft wood and is quickly eaten up, the Eagle Mirado, with its harder wood case, withstands multiple sharpenings over its useful life.
And so it is with people---on the outside, most everyone looks the same. In fact, some appear much more attractive than others. Many appear happy, outgoing, and gregarious, while others are more reserved, solemn, and sometimes not as attractive as others.
The difference lies in people’s response to sharpenings. Life manages to provide inevitable situations that challenge everyone. Job loss, relational issues, prodigal children, declining health and death of family members---the list is endless.
Some people respond to these challenges like the Bondex pencil. They are quickly overcome and consumed by the “sharpenings” of life. Although they were attractive and normal on the outside, they quickly succumbed and were eaten away by bitterness, anger, depression, and anxiety.
On the other hand, others respond to the challenges just like the Eagle Mirado. Quickly, their inner strength is revealed by what is really “on the inside.” Their spiritual foundation and their faith sustain them. They persevere through adversity, and there is never any doubt as their core strength. While not always as attractive on the “outside,” their inner peace and strength is a testimony to many.
Are you a “Bondex”---or an “Eagle Mirado?”
Kendall Smith is a Northsider.
