Hidden Meanings.

It’s not about the pencil.

I remember visiting a friend's house when I about about 10 years old. I needed a pencil for my art project, and I saw one sitting on a desk. ​​​​​​​​

​​​​​​​But my friend yelped when I went to grab it!​​​

​​​​​​​She said that her mom was “crazy,” and that under no circumstances should we remove a pencil from her home office. She told me her mom would start yelling and stomping around, “just because of a pencil.”​​​​​​​​

​​​​​​​I thought to myself, “wow, that’s a lot of fuss about a silly pencil.”​​​​​​​​

​​​​​​​Now, on reflection, it seems to me that her mom’s feelings about the pencil probably weren’t about the pencil at all.​​​​​​​​

​​​​​​​​I can imagine that the pencil could have represented so much more:​​​​​​​​

​​​​​​​​✏️ It could have been about her family’s lack of respect for her work. ​​​​​​​​

​​​​​​​​✏️ ​​​​​​​​Or perhaps it was about financial stress and the cost of office supplies.​​​​​​​​

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​✏️ Maybe it was about poor boundaries within her marriage. ​​​​​​​​

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​✏️ Or maybe it was about her own ambivalence around juggling career and family.​​​​​​​​

All sorts of deeper themes might be hidden in that simple pencil.

​​​​​​​The next time someone in your life or workplace “stomps around just because of a pencil,” take a minute to wonder if it’s not about the pencil, after all.