Signings

Do you want to try a pen prior to buying it? Most people do.
If the shop personnel is clever they provide some paper the customers can use for their sketches. If they are not so smart they do nothing but clean all shelves and nearby walls once a week.

I love to study the scribblings in the pen section of shops. Sometimes it’s very interesting to see what the people write or draw to test a pen.
Of course there are boring zig zags and spirals. One can see a lot of hearts, sometimes even with some love oaths. I observed that one person wrote the word “sü?” in many different colors. “Sü?” is the german word for “cute”.

My favorite finding today was “Alles Liebe”, written in many different sizes and colors - but with the same handwriting.
“Alles Liebe” can be used as a closing phrase for a letter or email and means e.g. “Love, John”.
But out of the context of a letter the literally translation is “all is love”.
Let’s assume that the writer didn’t want to test closing phrases for an email but to state his current emotional state. Whow, this person must be deeply in love. I looked around in the shop to check whether there’s a person around with that special glance in the eyes. The only human being nearby was a relatively old man buying some acrylic colors. Impossible that he could have been the all-is-love-person.
Shit - obviously I missed the chance to see a very happy person. Hopefully next time.



By the way: When I test a pen I usually draw little animals like elephants or penguins.