A key to my everyday carry since I was a boy has always been a Swiss Army Knife. I’m going to tell you a story today of the first time carrying a knife got me into trouble. I was six years old and new to a new school. We just moved schools that summer. I was looking for something cool to bring to show-and-tell. My father, an old farm boy who worked in industrial maintenance at the time, suggested that I bring my trusty red Swiss Army Knife to share with the class. I went all day with my knife in my pocket just waiting for the time for show-and-tell. When it was my turn, I stood up and went to the front of the class and pulled out the folded knife. The teacher, realizing what I had, quickly got to her feet and snatched it from my hands and sent me to the principal’s office. They called my mom to come to the school since my dad was at work. When she got there, I was still in the hall, tears running down my cheeks as she passed and was escorted into the principal’s office. I remember hearing the principal threatening to have me expelled, and my mom, to her credit, sat there and when it was her turn to talk, took control of the situation, explained the mistake, and how back when my parents grew up, a pocket knife wasn’t a weapon but a tool and a sign of a boy entering manhood. The principal warned her that they couldn’t have a repeat of this mistake. I was sent home with my mom for the rest of the day. My dad got a talking to when he arrived home from work, but looking back, I remember not seeing the knife as a weapon but as a tool like my dad did.
Even today, I carry a Swiss Army Knife everywhere I go. Most of the time, I remember to pull it out of my pocket when I’m heading into places where they are restricted, but I have lost my fair share of them to security and TSA. With that said, I never regret carrying a Swiss Army Knife. I see it as an invaluable tool. The number of times it has saved my life both figuratively and literally outweighs the inconvenience or cost of the knife.
Do you carry a Swiss Army Knife?
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