The Greatest Gift of All

Now this article is going to sound like somebody paid me to write it, but I swear on the Holy Bible they didn't. I just wanted to give credit where credit is due. About 10 years ago, my father bought me a Leatherman for Christmas. I thought it was a great gift because it was something I could use. Every outdoorsman I know owns a Leatherman or two, and if they don't they're missing out. Leathermans are wonderful tools, and I carry mine with me whenever I go fishing, hunting, plinking or make a run to the dump. It's just an excellent all around tool. I keep the one my father gave me, right inside my front door in a special place where I can always find it. Like a trusty friend it waits for my call. In fact while writing this article I looked up to make sure it was still there, and much to my surprise it wasn't. I checked the top of the piano where I lay my wallet and 9mm pistol. I started to go into that panic mode where your mind starts racing and your trying to remember the last place you used that object you're feverishly searching for. Then I laughed. I looked over towards the laptop and the there it sat. The Leatherman was right next to the Toshiba I have been typing on. The reason my Leatherman was sitting next to the computer was simple. It's my birthday and I'm enjoying a few Spaten Optimators. A delicious German dark beer that's been around since 1397. Wow, a beer that's been around for centuries. The Leatherman has assisted me in opening the last couple of Optimators, which in turn, helped me forget that I was using the Leatherman in the first place. Good things stick around. I'm sure the Leatherman, just like the delicious Spaten Optimator, will be around for centuries to come. My leatherman has gutted fish, cut ropes, crimped chains, and pulled nails. My Leatherman has helped me sight in my hunting rifles, cut fishing line and even removed the hooks from many a Northern Pike's mouth. To state the obvious--It really is the perfect compliment to any man's belt. This summer I almost lost my trusty friend. I was shore fishing at Fernan Lake, near Coeur d' Alene Idaho, and I had parked the Jeep at one of my favorite turn outs, on the east side of the lake. I popped the back hatch open so I'd have easy access to my tackle box for quick lure changes, until I figured out what the fish were biting on. Well somewhere during the tackle changes, I left my Leatherman on the bumper of the Jeep. I finished fishing and drove home. Lucky for me the Jeep has a ridged bumper that magically holds things you leave on it. I made a right turn as I approached my house and I heard a weird clanging sound on the pavement. "What was that?" I thought to myself. "Must have run over a piece of metal or something?" I got home, unpacked my fishing gear, and then went to the Jeep to grab my Leatherman. It wasn't there. "Oh crap! I must have left it on the bumper." I was bummed. There's no way it could have survived the ride home on my bumper. Not on that road with it's multiple twists and turns. I couldn't believe it. After all these years my Leatherman was gone."Not my favorite tool. Not the one my Father gave me 1o years ago." Then it hit me. "That sound! That metal clanging sound I heard was probably my Leatherman." That's right, I had left it on the bumper of the Jeep. I drove down the block and there it was. My favorite tool sitting in the middle of the road waiting like an abandoned child for somebody to save it. My heart was relieved. Yeah, I know what you're thinking. "It's just a Leatherman!" Oh but it's not. This tool holds special meaning to me. It's the one my father gave me for Christmas 10 years ago, not to mention it's been a real friend for the past decade. I was relieved to find it, and promised myself to be more careful with my little friend. If you, or anybody you know is looking for the perfect gift to give this coming Christmas remember the Leatherman. Any Leatherman tool is a real joy to own, and there's a reason you don't find them at garage sales or second hand stores. If you do, snatch it up quickly. The Leatherman is simply the perfect tool, and a real asset to any man's arsenal of tools that make life more bearable.