Damn GWB, I was thinking of buying one of your famous knives even though I don't need anymore, but then you had to mention the birthday thing along with the age thing as a reason for selling and I thought sob, we have the same birthday and are the same age! So now I'm thinking, do I need to start selling off stuff too?
Do I get depressed or look forward to the filthy lucre?
Yowsir, could one have fun with this, and how philosophical should one get in a forum such as this.
So, a soliloquy on a Sunny Saturday morning.
AFAIK, I’m in good health, not currently financially embarrassed, kids are grown and out of the house, and have managed to stay married to the same woman for 43 years.
I was on a ride a while back, and was bunking with a guy I’d known for over 30 years. We went to church together, our kids were the same ages. I had two sons and a daughter, he had two daughters and a son. He made a statement that was more prescient than either of us knew at the time. He said, G-dub, “I used to think that when you got older, your kids got out of the house and school and on their own, and you retired, life would get easier, But it don’t.
It just gets harder and harder till it kills ya”!
If you knew you were going to die, how would you choose to spend the remainder of your days.
To put it crudely we all suffer from a sexually transmitted disease that is ultimately fatal, its called life.
Well, news flash, sooner or later I’m gonna die. I tell folks I wanna’ arrive at my coffin 30 minutes late, my parts all used up, an adult beverage in one hand, a cigar in the other, exclaiming “Woohoo, what a ride”.
I see it as a matter of perception and personal choice whether to be depressed or look forward to the vicissitudes of life.
IIRC it was John Barrymore that postulated “A man is not old until regrets take the place of dreams". I like to think that I still have dreams.
I started collecting firearms in the early 90’s, and knives later. I have had a ball acquiring them, enjoying their use, (a big part of which is the photography aspect) making memories and entertainment while posting pictures of them along with stories on forums such as this.
I find that as I age, my circle of personal acquaintances gets smaller and smaller with the passage of time. However, via forums such as 24hour, these items have, and will continue to allow me to make friends and meet folk from many walks of life that I would never have had the opportunity on any other basis. I like that.
In the last two days I’ve had several individuals who have seen that I’m selling numerous Items from my collection contact me either by voice, text or PM’s to inquire “what condition my condition is in. I am humbled, and grateful by and for that.
In addition, thanks to the good folk here, I’ve sold enough “stuff” to pay for an upcoming quail hunt in Alabama (where I will get to play with guns and knives, and cameras) with one of my siblings and a life-long friend, and for the upcoming 24hr Campfire Hog Hunt in March.
As a serendipity, I did not endure one minute of the boob tube nor talk radio, while doing so.
In closing,
A wise man once said……
To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
2 A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
3 A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;
4 A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
5 A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
6 A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
7 A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
8 A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace….Ecclesiastes 3: 1-8
For me these knives have served their purpose. I had the thrill of acquisition, use, and the entertainment derived from that use.
Now it is time to enjoy letting them follow others to different destinations.
The photos I’ll keep.
Best,
GWB
