How To Use An Eraser- Rubber to Erase All Your Mistakes in Life

Who doesn’t love an eraser? When I grab for a newly sharpened pencil and it doesn’t have a solid eraser- I put it back. The ability to delete is as important as the ability to create. If only we could have erasers for life too- bad conversations, stupid choices, and unfortunate accidents.

As a writer, the eraser is my best friend. Just as much as that shiny tip of graphite, I want a big solid and soft eraser by my side. It gives me the confidence to write- knowing I can undo anything absurd or horrible that is put to paper. How many of us would jump over obstacles we are afraid of if we knew we could undo it with an eraser?

What if?

Imagine a big soft piece of rubber in your home. It sits by the door or your bed and waits patiently for you to make a mistake. When you do, you reach for it and rub it all over the stupid thing you just did. Magically- the ending is no longer the end, and you try again. This time- you go for another angle or a different way. The ending is different this time.

The truth is that a marking erased on paper doesn't full disappear. You can still see it lightly and often the paper is a bit crinkled. It's a reminder that you changed course mid-sentence, but that isn't a bad thing. We need erasers yes, but we need the crinkled paper to remind us of our errors too. It teaches us how to do things better in the future. We see that we have grown.

What would yours look like?

Would you have a neat little pink tipped eraser? How about a giant block of rubber? I used to love playing with the artist's erasers that could bend and move like putty. You could shape it into a teeny tiny eraser for the finest of details or use it whole on a big drawing mess.

If you're like me, you've ripped paper trying to erase too hard. In an attempt to rid yourself of any evidence of a mistake, you grind the paper into powder until there is just a hole. I promise the hole is more a problem than the original mistake.

I think I am going to start an eraser collection. An eraser for every silly mistake and poor decision. I'm going to surround myself with rubber until I'm sure I can try anything in life. A collection of "mistake-fixers".

If you’ve read my hubs, you know that I live in a small house. Collections make me nervous quite frankly- especially when my husband’s obsession with books and tools threatens to overtake the one lonely closet in our house. But erasers are small objects with superpowers of deletion. Of course, an eraser collection may not prove to be a valuable asset like gold coins or baseball cards, but think of how many horrible novels you could write and erase if you collected the best and most badass erasers of all time?

So I'm on the hunt for the craziest erasers I could find. Next time you're stumped on what to give someone, buy them an eraser with a note about the powers of forgiveness and undoing mistakes.

Here are some of my favorites!

Red Rhino Eraser- This bad boy is bright red and too big for a pencil. Perfect for those LARGE mistakes like arguing with a police office. I've never done it- I swear.

Delete Eraser- Awww, the keyboard is trying to make friends with old school erasers. Unity people- no need to compete!

Money Erasers- Perfect for those impulse buys you sorely regret the next day. Give one to your kids next time they blow their allowance on a jawbreaker that cost you $200.00 in dental bills.

Biscuit Erasers- Erase your late night binge on cookies and ice cream while watching the Bachelor. Who watches that show anyway? (cough cough)

When school supply shopping comes around, use the opportunity to buy them a special eraser with a note from you expressing the importance of learning from their mistakes. You can do it for a spouse after a big fight or as a gag gift for someone who has a reputation for making dumb moves.

"The average pencil is seven inches long, with just a half-inch eraser- in case you thought optimism was dead."

Only in Japan is there an entire museum dedicated to adorable erasers. If you are interested (or really need to undo a mistake), check out the gallery of images on the site. If you can think it up, there is probably an eraser for it.

Next time you pick up your pencil to write or draw, don't despair the eraser markings on your paper. They are monuments to learning and growing. That rubber works just as hard as the tip of a pencil to help you succeed.

-Julie DeNeen