SMALL OBJECT BIG LOSS

Lesson learned

I was on a three-day, 1800 mile, round trip road trip.  When I noticed it was gone, I felt heartsick, this small item in its 3^rd edition.  I treasured each one of the three for over 20 years.  It was like losing a best friend or something you could always count on and that never let you down.  The loss was palpable.  This was a companion that went with me almost everywhere except on occasions that I considered to be high risk of loss.  This precious and prized possession gave me a degree of comfort, security and convenience that enriched the quality of my life.  If that sounds like a big deal, it is, or, it was.

This small object that has proven its value hundreds, if not thousands of times over and over is a small,  4 inch combination of metal and bone. It is intricate in its design and function, mechanically perfect.  It is a Laguiole folding knife.  In traditional terms it’s a pocketknife.  You may know someone who had or now has a pocketknife as its utility is unparalleled in everyday encounters.  For cutting, peeling or slicing something, a piece of fruit, a string or the edge of a package, it is readily available, easy to use, and is of the highest quality – simple and beautiful technology, one folding blade with a sharp point at the end. Both my grandfathers and my father had pocketknives and as a young child, I was impressed by their design, function and utility. No wires, no circuits, no batteries, no power source, except mine.

I got my first pocketknife around age 12 and then over succeeding years had several different ones, usually with two blades, larger and smaller. One version, the Swiss Army knife had small tools folded into its case but too big to carry comfortably except when on camping trips.  I then graduated to a Leatherman that I could attach to my belt in a leather case. A small pair of scissors were a surprising addition as were two different bits for screws, and always, a knife blade for cutting.

My wife gave me a very special pocketknife and had my initials engraved on the blade.  I carried it every day with love from the giver and the gift. The longer I had it, the more I liked it and then one day, it was gone.  I had misplaced it on several occasions and if my pocket wasn’t deep enough, and I was sitting at an angle, it could slip out and I might not notice it was gone until I changed clothes or went into my pocket and noticed it was missing.  Sometimes I found it in a chair or in the car, on the floor by the driver’s seat.

She replaced the first one with a different model but same design and size, a bit thicker but the same fabulous high quality and function and I had that one for several years and then, it went missing too.  Once, years ago, I had it with me and was not able to take it through TSA so went back to find a FEDEX service to mail it home.  It was a treasured possession above most others I owned.

The third edition arrived several years ago and the inscription S. put on the blade, read, “OK, lover boy, don’t lose this one.”   I wish I had a photo. Laguiole is the name of a village in France, located in the Aubrac region.  Laguiole knives have been made there since the 19th century.   It was in 1829 that a modest peasant knife was born in Laguiole, a small mountain village in Aveyron, a mixture of the Navaja knife with an Arab-Hispanic shape. Its famous bee, a symbol of prestige and quality, which adorns its spring, makes it the most famous knife in France.  We visited the village and discovered their world class cutlery. Here is the web site with details:  https://laguiole.com/en/?v=0b3b97fa6688

I know it’s a material object and I will recover from losing it and get over the loss. I will stop punishing myself for not leaving it at home before taking the trip.  There are more important matters of life than a tiny pocketknife.  It’s not about the knife. It’s about losing something of value that can be replaced as it has been previously. While the quality of my life may have been diminished, it is temporary.  More important is the love we share and show every day, the understanding, support, caring, appreciation and forgiveness, even with a small gift. That is what enhances our relationship and the quality of life more than a small pocketknife.  That’s the lesson in all of this.

I hope someone who might find it will appreciate its beauty and function in their own life.