The Ink That Still Flows: A Tribute to Timeless Bonds

Daily writing prompt

What’s the oldest thing you own that you still use daily?

View all responses

Hello dear friends,

I hope this blog finds you in a cheerful and peaceful state of mind.

Today’s writing prompt brought a gentle smile to my face. It nudged open the creaking doors of memory—those intimate spaces where the past sits like an old friend, always ready to whisper its stories. The question was simple, yet profoundly stirring:

“What’s the oldest thing you own that you still use daily?”

And just like that, I was transported into a warm bubble of nostalgia.

📚 The Clock That Ticks with My Soul

Among the many items scattered across the landscape of my life—books, spectacles, pens, mementoes, photographs—there is one faithful companion that has never left my side.

My old fountain pen.

Yes, a slightly worn-out classic with a golden nib—softened with time, yet still elegant in its simplicity.

This pen has been with me for nearly five decades. And though I don’t use it for everything these days, I still reach for it every morning—out of habit, out of reverence, and out of love.

This pen wasn’t just bought. It was gifted.
It came into my life on my eleventh birthday, a precious token from my childhood friend, Kishore.

He had handed it to me with a gleam in his eye and said, “Friend, use this pen as a reminder of our friendship.”

He is no more.

But his gift—this fountain pen—still breathes.
Still writes.
Still carries the memory of an innocent friendship that time could not erase.

🕰️ More Than Just an Object

In today’s world of flashing screens and sleek gadgets, my fountain pen feels like a quiet rebel. It doesn’t beep. It doesn’t need charging. It doesn’t update its software. It simply flows—with grace and patience.

When I hold it, I don’t just hold a pen.
I hold a memory.
A promise.
A moment in time frozen in brass and ink.

It connects me to a younger version of myself. To a friend who left too soon. To an era when things were slower, but somehow more heartfelt. Writing with this pen is not about just jotting down words—it is about honouring the journey.

🌱 The Daily Ritual

Every morning, after my tea, I sit by the window where the sun gently spills across my writing desk. I reach for my little ink bottle, dip the nib carefully, and let it drink its lifeblood.

Then, I begin.
A poem.
A gratitude note.
A letter that might never be posted.
Or sometimes, simply my thoughts for the day.

That act—mundane to others—is almost sacred to me. The sound of the nib scratching the page, the curve of each letter forming slowly, deliberately—it soothes me like meditation. It centers me. It reminds me to be present.

🎁 Why Do I Still Use It?

Some may ask, “Why not just use a ballpoint or a laptop?”

Because this pen is not just a tool. It is a keeper of memories.

It has traveled with me through cities, heartbreaks, exams, celebrations, career milestones, retirement, and even quiet, reflective nights.

It has signed documents, scribbled love notes, drafted poems for my granddaughter, and written dreams that never left the paper.

Each dent, each scratch on its body is a badge of honor—earned by surviving time and change.
When it skips while writing, I smile. Even old friends have their moods, don’t they?

🧳 A Bridge Between Generations

Last week, my granddaughter held the pen in her little hands and tried to write with it.
“Dada, why do you still use this old pen?” she asked innocently.

I smiled and said,
“Because it reminds me to stay grounded, even as I dream.”
And then I told her how, in our time, people wrote letters with their hearts—not emojis. Letters that took days to reach but stayed in hearts for years.

This pen, I said, is not just mine.
It’s a bridge—between generations, emotions, and eras.

🪶 A Metaphor for Life

This pen has taught me something beautiful—
Old things still have new purpose.

Like us.
Even in retirement, we’re not obsolete.
We still carry wisdom, love, and stories. We still write new chapters, even with old ink.

Just like that fountain pen, I continue to flow—with creativity, with emotion, with a quiet sense of purpose. The nib may be old, but the soul behind it is alive with dreams.

🌼 Final Submission

So, dear friends, I ask you: look around your home.
What’s that one old object that still walks with you, day after day?
Maybe it’s a shawl, a watch, a diary, a kitchen ladle, or a pair of spectacles.

Don’t overlook it.
Because some things are more than just things.
They’re vessels—of stories, of love, of identity.

As for me, every time I unscrew the cap of my pen, I feel like I’m opening a time capsule.
And each word I write… is a memory reborn.

What’s the oldest thing you still use daily?
I’d love to hear your story, too.

Till then, keep writing your life—
Beautifully. Deliberately. Meaningfully.

Warm regards,
~ Vijay Verma
www.retiredkalam.com

Categories: infotainment

Tags: #Momoire, dailyprompt, dailyprompt-1970, featured, fountain-pen, fountain-pens, ink, pens, writing