I can relate. I was probably the only girl at school that carried a pocket knife to eat my lunch with. Not sure how I got away with it. This post kind of reminded me of the spirit of the movie Christmas Story.
That's a very lovely compliment and I appreciate it very much. Yes, I was a bit of a Ralphie indulging in my youthful fantasties...haha. I wasn't a threat to anyone, but boy it's easy to get in trouble. Even moreso today. Everybody had a pocket knife with them at all times when I was growing up, it was just a toy.
If I had been your mom, I’m sure I would have handled it the same way (but have been inwardly thinking Tom Sawyer, Huck Finn, etc. and silently laughing).
As a parent, I've learned that there are battles you have to fight and ones you just pretend never happened (though my girls are adherent rule followers). More often, it's me telling them to do something they're "not supposed" to do. There is a place for that in life :) But I think it's easy for me to raise my daughters than what my mom had to deal with raising me!
I regularly fly with a knife in my checked baggage when I go on camping adventures. It's not a problem in 99% of countries. However, I recently discovered on a trip to Scotland that it's illegal to carry a blade longer than the width of your palm. Fortunately, no one checked while I was there.
This is a hilarious story! I can practically feel the weight of the guilt in your pocket alongside the knife.
Thirteen-year-old logic is undefeated. Who wouldn't want a trusty L.L. Bean knife for wilderness adventures (or in this case, exploring the Denver Mint)?
Thanks for sharing this anecdote! You had me laughing out loud at the security checks and Wild Cody Earp Hickok. Sounds like a valuable lesson learned (the hard way) about hidden weapons and Christmas shopping sprees.
The crushing weight of 13 year old guilt. Yeah, I think it's funny because everybody knows just how terrible it is. Old enough to get yourself into trouble but not old enough to know better :) Thanks for the lovely comment!
Walter, you had me enthralled throughout. Your storytelling is superb and it was heartwarming to see the relationship between a security guard and a boy sharing a bonding moment.
Who knows about today. It seems unlikely that the young children today, now this old man's grandkids, will ever know the simple joy of a pocket knife.I understand safety concerns, but it still seems a shame that what was once a right of passage is no longer readily available to them.
I've carried daily from age 11 to the present. From Buck pocket knives to my current Mel Pardue assisted lock blade from Benchmade. It was, in fact, an absolute right of passage for midwestern kids in the 70s.Great reflection.
Yeah, I'd go into the woods and make bows and arrows and spears and all kinds of things. I looked at my knife like modern kids look at their cell phone. That's kind of sad. The Swiss Army Knife in the picture obviously isn't the one I talked about in the story. Do kids still have Swiss Army Knives?
OMG! My son did this in 2005. He’d gotten a Swiss Army knife from his grandfather for his birthday. He wanted to take it for their visit over winter break. But he was concerned that it would get lost if he packed it. Didn’t tell me. Go through security and boom! I can laugh now, but he was so scared that I ended up crying, too. Oh boy!
Covey calls these ‘natural laws’ of human behaviour ‘principles’ and believes they are part of the human condition and human consciousness. In a nutshell, they are the principle of fairness, of integrity and honesty, of human dignity; the principle of service to others, the striving for excellence and the principle of potential; that we can grow and develop more and more talents. Potential is highly related to the principle of growth- the process of releasing potential and continuously developing it.
Covey states that these principles or guidelines for human conduct have been proven to have enduring, permanent value and are fundamental and self-evident. Now, in these cynical times, it would be easy to dismiss these ideas as ‘ sentimental goo’. Our culture encourages us to get ahead at any cost and grab what we can while we can without much concern for fundamental values. However, look at it this way. Consider the absurdity of attempting to live an effective, meaningful life based on their opposites. I doubt that anyone would seriously consider unfairness, deceit, baseness, uselessness, mediocrity, or degeneration to be a solid foundation for lasting personal happiness and success. And they certainly would not be a solid foundation for a successful business.
Stephen R. Covey believes that there are certain “natural laws that are woven into the fabric of every civilised society throughout history and comprise the roots of every family and institution that has endured and prospered.” The principles he refers to are not esoteric, mysterious, or religious. However, these principles are part of every enduring religious tradition, as well as enduring social philosophies and ethical systems throughout the history of human civilization
There is a bitter sweet reason for loving this article. When your mate for life dies, you become the curator for everything they treasured and moved with them every time there was a change in jobs, locations, life styles. I stopped counting at 20 pocket knifes, as I packed truck loads of boxes of perfectly good items--some so new they still had tags on them, to go to Goodwill Industries. As a farm boy from Iowa with frequent trips to Wisconsin, he probably needed every one of those for good reasons as well as mental health and active living in every environment. Thanks for explaining all of the reasons every one of those pocket knifes--all sizes and some more elaborate than others, were entirely necessary.
I can relate. I was probably the only girl at school that carried a pocket knife to eat my lunch with. Not sure how I got away with it. This post kind of reminded me of the spirit of the movie Christmas Story.
That's a very lovely compliment and I appreciate it very much. Yes, I was a bit of a Ralphie indulging in my youthful fantasties...haha. I wasn't a threat to anyone, but boy it's easy to get in trouble. Even moreso today. Everybody had a pocket knife with them at all times when I was growing up, it was just a toy.
I used to think my mom would hunt me down and slay me if I said the mother of all cuss words.
Ha! Yeah, you feel such anxiety that you can't help but think about it when you're in the presence of your parents. It's tough being a kid!
If I had been your mom, I’m sure I would have handled it the same way (but have been inwardly thinking Tom Sawyer, Huck Finn, etc. and silently laughing).
As a parent, I've learned that there are battles you have to fight and ones you just pretend never happened (though my girls are adherent rule followers). More often, it's me telling them to do something they're "not supposed" to do. There is a place for that in life :) But I think it's easy for me to raise my daughters than what my mom had to deal with raising me!
This is so funny and tender!
Thank you!
I regularly fly with a knife in my checked baggage when I go on camping adventures. It's not a problem in 99% of countries. However, I recently discovered on a trip to Scotland that it's illegal to carry a blade longer than the width of your palm. Fortunately, no one checked while I was there.
I didn't know that about Scotland. Thanks for sharing!
This is a hilarious story! I can practically feel the weight of the guilt in your pocket alongside the knife.
Thirteen-year-old logic is undefeated. Who wouldn't want a trusty L.L. Bean knife for wilderness adventures (or in this case, exploring the Denver Mint)?
Thanks for sharing this anecdote! You had me laughing out loud at the security checks and Wild Cody Earp Hickok. Sounds like a valuable lesson learned (the hard way) about hidden weapons and Christmas shopping sprees.
The crushing weight of 13 year old guilt. Yeah, I think it's funny because everybody knows just how terrible it is. Old enough to get yourself into trouble but not old enough to know better :) Thanks for the lovely comment!
Walter, you had me enthralled throughout. Your storytelling is superb and it was heartwarming to see the relationship between a security guard and a boy sharing a bonding moment.
Thanks Karen, I appreciate that!
Who knows about today. It seems unlikely that the young children today, now this old man's grandkids, will ever know the simple joy of a pocket knife.I understand safety concerns, but it still seems a shame that what was once a right of passage is no longer readily available to them.
I got Swiss Army Knives for my girls :)
I've carried daily from age 11 to the present. From Buck pocket knives to my current Mel Pardue assisted lock blade from Benchmade. It was, in fact, an absolute right of passage for midwestern kids in the 70s.Great reflection.
Yeah, I'd go into the woods and make bows and arrows and spears and all kinds of things. I looked at my knife like modern kids look at their cell phone. That's kind of sad. The Swiss Army Knife in the picture obviously isn't the one I talked about in the story. Do kids still have Swiss Army Knives?
OMG! My son did this in 2005. He’d gotten a Swiss Army knife from his grandfather for his birthday. He wanted to take it for their visit over winter break. But he was concerned that it would get lost if he packed it. Didn’t tell me. Go through security and boom! I can laugh now, but he was so scared that I ended up crying, too. Oh boy!
FIRST PRINCIPLES
Covey calls these ‘natural laws’ of human behaviour ‘principles’ and believes they are part of the human condition and human consciousness. In a nutshell, they are the principle of fairness, of integrity and honesty, of human dignity; the principle of service to others, the striving for excellence and the principle of potential; that we can grow and develop more and more talents. Potential is highly related to the principle of growth- the process of releasing potential and continuously developing it.
Covey states that these principles or guidelines for human conduct have been proven to have enduring, permanent value and are fundamental and self-evident. Now, in these cynical times, it would be easy to dismiss these ideas as ‘ sentimental goo’. Our culture encourages us to get ahead at any cost and grab what we can while we can without much concern for fundamental values. However, look at it this way. Consider the absurdity of attempting to live an effective, meaningful life based on their opposites. I doubt that anyone would seriously consider unfairness, deceit, baseness, uselessness, mediocrity, or degeneration to be a solid foundation for lasting personal happiness and success. And they certainly would not be a solid foundation for a successful business.
Stephen R. Covey believes that there are certain “natural laws that are woven into the fabric of every civilised society throughout history and comprise the roots of every family and institution that has endured and prospered.” The principles he refers to are not esoteric, mysterious, or religious. However, these principles are part of every enduring religious tradition, as well as enduring social philosophies and ethical systems throughout the history of human civilization
.
Ha! I’m an old woman but I always carry a knife when I go out. But the locking mechanism broke on my favorite knife!!
Yeah, it's easy to forget those things are in our pocket. They're so useful, but these days you can get in a lot of trouble!
I keep mine attached to my bra, bro
At 75, I carry a 2.5 in and have a collection of 25 including a Rambo
There is a bitter sweet reason for loving this article. When your mate for life dies, you become the curator for everything they treasured and moved with them every time there was a change in jobs, locations, life styles. I stopped counting at 20 pocket knifes, as I packed truck loads of boxes of perfectly good items--some so new they still had tags on them, to go to Goodwill Industries. As a farm boy from Iowa with frequent trips to Wisconsin, he probably needed every one of those for good reasons as well as mental health and active living in every environment. Thanks for explaining all of the reasons every one of those pocket knifes--all sizes and some more elaborate than others, were entirely necessary.
Follow @Smillew course and you may well succeed.
Yeah, young boys don't always make it easy on their moms :)