ONE OF MY FAVORITE QUOTES from The Lord of the Rings concerns Frodo Baggins’ loyal manservant and steadfast friend Sam Gamgee. It’s a narrative quote, not dialog, and it describes Sam’s knapsack as stuffed full of (quoting from memory): “… little treasures of his master’s to be trotted out in triumph when needed and called for.”
Sometimes, stories come to life.
The NorCal fire season definitely made an impression on me.
It’s my custom to post a daily Facebook question, to the evident delight of good friends who love to play along. I always answer it myself just to get the snowball rolling, and the other day I posted this:
What’s your EDC (Every Day Carry)? (Me: In addition to wallet, keys, phone and bandana handkerchief, I carry a four-pocket, five-pound, grey Cordura sling bag containing a Leatherman-knockoff multitool; blue and red ballpoint pens; blue Sharpie; mechanical pencil; yellow notepad; binoculars; two-lens jeweler’s loupe; LED flashlight; thumb drive; spare bandana; two black KN95 masks; two pair nitrile gloves; two pair earplugs; comb; mirror; six-inch/15-centimeter plastic ruler; earbuds [wired]; one of those steel, credit-card-sized “11-in-1 survival tools” [bottle opener, can opener, standard screwdriver, wingnut wrench, hex wrenches, blade, magnetic compass, file, ruler, keychain loop, and saw]; sewing kit; first-aid kit; inspirational reading; space blanket; razor-sharp Opinel No. 8 knife; miniature Swiss Army knife with toothpick and tweezers; mini carabiner clip; ibuprofen; Listerine spray; dry-mouth spray and lozenges; two plastic teaspoons; two paper straws; military-issue folding can opener; actual magnetic compass; synagogue-leadership roster; vaxx card; cough drops; folding scissors; eyeglasses; homemade trail mix; phone charger; small clothespin; rubber band; butane lighter [I don’t smoke, but instant flame can be handy]; guitar pick; Kleenex packet; nail clippers; two packets of Bustelo instant espresso; and one of my business cards with “IF FOUND PLEASE RETURN TO” scribbled on the back. In short, everything which I have needed and/or anticipate needing goes into this damn bag which I lug everywhere, feel absolutely naked without, and have misplaced twice – with attendant bad freakout. Wouldn’t you?)
The NorCal fire season – especially 2017’s, which burned half of Sonoma Valley – definitely made an impression on me, and I now partly live out of my go-bags for small things like sunglasses and daily grooming essentials; it’s a great stress-reducer to know I can grab everything of importance without thinking. But to be honest, I really tote all these things, each thoughtfully and meticulously collected over a period of years, because I love to be useful. (Which is not a bad way to be.)
So. What’s your EDC? And a bonus question: What makes you feel useful?