What a great story (except the part about losing your treasure)! My boys have their special knives too so I can appreciate your attachment to it. I love that your wife had it engraved so thoughtfully! Wishing you the very best with your next one🙂
Thanks for another wonderful, inspiring message. Your words, forever, resonate with so many of us. All of your posts — due to the “outside the box perspective — are “can’t miss reads.”
I am so grateful to have found this blessed forum called “Substack” and you, sir, are one of the biggest reasons why!
Thanks, Sara. Good to see you here and I appreciate your reading and responding. Life goes on here at Rancho Los Labradores and we moved from 201 to 603 just down a few villas from where you were. The highway construction turning it into a four lane divided boulevard is a huge mess while its being done and it will take at least a year or more to complete. However, when it's finished it should be an easy, quick, safe trip to SMA.
Thanks Gary. Your writing is very similar to your beautiful knife..."I hope someone who might find it will appreciate its beauty and function in their own life". I appreciate its beauty. Thank you.
Thanks, Ian. I appreciate your observation and comment. I am working on learning to make my writing more like my knife which was wonderfully designed, useful, practical and productive. You have given me a good suggestion to pursue further. Not sure I can compete with the elegant beauty of my lost knife but I can follow the ideas of keeping it simple, and easy to understand. And I hope those who find my writing will appreciate it in a similar way.
I used to worry about losing my keys from my pocket. I’ve never had to worry since buying a key ring attached to a spiral coiled chain fitted with a metal lobster clasp which I attach to my belt. Maybe you could do the same with your next one?
Idea worth considering. Interesting that I have not lost my keys so maybe attaching the next knife, if I get one, to my keys would work. Size a consideration since the pocketknife is 4” long. I have another idea which is a handmade leather holder that would attach to my belt. That worked for the Leatherman quite well. Time will tell..as it does often.
“I hope someone who might find it will appreciate its beauty and function in their own life.”
And if they be a lover boy, they better not lose it! Well, ultimately, someone else was gonna be borrowing it anyway. You know…the whole “can’t take it with you” thing. Yadda, yadda, yadda.
I enjoyed this Gary! Growing up on farms I was familiar with many different kinds of knives—especially of the pocket kind. Like you, I had a Swiss army knife. I think I bought it myself. It was so cumbersome, I can’t recall using it. But, I had a Swiss army knife! In fact, come to think of it, I might still have it!!! Now, just gotta remember where. Wasn’t engraved though. Pressure’s off.
What helps is to have someone in my life who helps remove the pressure(s) and who understands and accepts my foibles. And, of course, you're right. Had I kept it in my possession until the end, someone else would get it because as far as I know, I'm taking nothing with me when I leave.
Now I wonder what your lover will engrave the next knife with? “Okay, go ahead and lose this one too. I bought a dozen more—from your retirement account.”
🤣 It may be that Santa knows my story. Good question about next engraving. She is clever, smart and has a wicked sense of humor so god only knows what she might create, if she does. I have not asked and she has not offered to replace, at least not yet and the last one came as a total surprise. They are expensive and cost on average around $220 USD.
Loved this post! It's so relatable in that we've all experienced losing something precious and meaningful, and then coming to the understanding that change and loss are part of life.
Yes, you get it. I did not want to relate this to the bigger losses in our lives that have a much larger impact so I tried to put it in the context and perspective of where I believe it belongs. The larger topic could well be "loss and recovery" or something like that. I did not comment on where we might place too much value on material things by giving them human characteristics. However, I know several people here on Substack who have names for their cars and vans.
what an important and functional tool. All good- things come and things go. :) Loved listening to your audio. My husband is a knife maker and we have a deep respect for well made old school tools! I lost the first knife he made me and I felt so bad...
"the inscription S. put on the blade, read, 'OK, lover boy, don’t lose this one.'"
How sweet! 💝
That she is! Thanks, Kristin.
What a great story (except the part about losing your treasure)! My boys have their special knives too so I can appreciate your attachment to it. I love that your wife had it engraved so thoughtfully! Wishing you the very best with your next one🙂
Thanks, Donna. Nothing compares to a hand made tool for mechanical superiority and dependability. Santa knows about my loss, so here’s hoping.
Objects hold our memories and that makes them painful to lose. So sorry.
A minor loss compared to big ones, thanks.
Thanks for another wonderful, inspiring message. Your words, forever, resonate with so many of us. All of your posts — due to the “outside the box perspective — are “can’t miss reads.”
I am so grateful to have found this blessed forum called “Substack” and you, sir, are one of the biggest reasons why!
Thanks, Ron. Grateful and humbled by your response. Appreciate your reading and responding, always.
Beautifully written, Gary. Brings back memories of being with you and S, your delight in each other and appreciation of beautiful things.
Thanks, Sara. Good to see you here and I appreciate your reading and responding. Life goes on here at Rancho Los Labradores and we moved from 201 to 603 just down a few villas from where you were. The highway construction turning it into a four lane divided boulevard is a huge mess while its being done and it will take at least a year or more to complete. However, when it's finished it should be an easy, quick, safe trip to SMA.
Thanks Gary. Your writing is very similar to your beautiful knife..."I hope someone who might find it will appreciate its beauty and function in their own life". I appreciate its beauty. Thank you.
Thanks, Ian. I appreciate your observation and comment. I am working on learning to make my writing more like my knife which was wonderfully designed, useful, practical and productive. You have given me a good suggestion to pursue further. Not sure I can compete with the elegant beauty of my lost knife but I can follow the ideas of keeping it simple, and easy to understand. And I hope those who find my writing will appreciate it in a similar way.
I used to worry about losing my keys from my pocket. I’ve never had to worry since buying a key ring attached to a spiral coiled chain fitted with a metal lobster clasp which I attach to my belt. Maybe you could do the same with your next one?
Idea worth considering. Interesting that I have not lost my keys so maybe attaching the next knife, if I get one, to my keys would work. Size a consideration since the pocketknife is 4” long. I have another idea which is a handmade leather holder that would attach to my belt. That worked for the Leatherman quite well. Time will tell..as it does often.
“I hope someone who might find it will appreciate its beauty and function in their own life.”
And if they be a lover boy, they better not lose it! Well, ultimately, someone else was gonna be borrowing it anyway. You know…the whole “can’t take it with you” thing. Yadda, yadda, yadda.
I enjoyed this Gary! Growing up on farms I was familiar with many different kinds of knives—especially of the pocket kind. Like you, I had a Swiss army knife. I think I bought it myself. It was so cumbersome, I can’t recall using it. But, I had a Swiss army knife! In fact, come to think of it, I might still have it!!! Now, just gotta remember where. Wasn’t engraved though. Pressure’s off.
What helps is to have someone in my life who helps remove the pressure(s) and who understands and accepts my foibles. And, of course, you're right. Had I kept it in my possession until the end, someone else would get it because as far as I know, I'm taking nothing with me when I leave.
As far as I know, too, that’s true.
Now I wonder what your lover will engrave the next knife with? “Okay, go ahead and lose this one too. I bought a dozen more—from your retirement account.”
🤣 It may be that Santa knows my story. Good question about next engraving. She is clever, smart and has a wicked sense of humor so god only knows what she might create, if she does. I have not asked and she has not offered to replace, at least not yet and the last one came as a total surprise. They are expensive and cost on average around $220 USD.
Loved this post! It's so relatable in that we've all experienced losing something precious and meaningful, and then coming to the understanding that change and loss are part of life.
Yes, you get it. I did not want to relate this to the bigger losses in our lives that have a much larger impact so I tried to put it in the context and perspective of where I believe it belongs. The larger topic could well be "loss and recovery" or something like that. I did not comment on where we might place too much value on material things by giving them human characteristics. However, I know several people here on Substack who have names for their cars and vans.
what an important and functional tool. All good- things come and things go. :) Loved listening to your audio. My husband is a knife maker and we have a deep respect for well made old school tools! I lost the first knife he made me and I felt so bad...