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| The original Instagram post about this knife from its creator, Sourwood Forge. |
We'd been trying to connect for a couple of weeks, a buddy and I.
Our schedules hadn't seemed to sync for a spell and we really wanted (needed) to chat more about an upcoming collaboration dinner we were putting together for a fundraiser auction for the school our respective kids go to. He's a chef, I'm a local forest forager of foods, and an avid hunter and fisher. The auction was coming up and while we'd loosely planned out each meal course, we hadn't yet had many opportunities to test out different ingredients or dishes with different drink combinations. Or refine our meal plan. We'd made plans for weeks to connect but as busy family men, things had come up and we simply hadn't been able to connect. And we DO love to connect, sometimes sitting on one of our stoops, sharing a local craft beer or spirit over good late evening conversations.
Our electronic interactions had ramped up in the last couple of days, but both of us were working long hours and had limited evening time...which is usually spent with our families. And what little windows of time we did have didn't seem to overlap with each other. It seemed we just couldn't connect.
Until tonight.
We both happened to be doing evening family walks with kiddos and dogs and the timing aligned. He stopped by as he was headed out and we were just getting back. He brought a few ingredients from around the globe for us to try and consider in our auction meal planning. Umeboshi (salted and fermented) plums, salt pickled lemon and Szechuan peppercorns. We sampled and ate each of these, talked about potential flavor combinations for dishes and which spices and drinks might pair well with them.
And then, just as he was making indications it was time for him to head back home, he said he had one more present. I should also mention he is also a good teller of stories and builds the context and tension along the storylines well. And while the story is good, it was also a personal one.
Suffice it to say, in the course of his sharing, he proceeded to proffer a knife. But not just any knife. A knife with a story which included another friendship. And intention. And time and care.
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| See this image and others of this knife at this Instagram post. |
It is a remarkable piece made by a remarkable artisan of metal and craft and gifted from a remarkable friend.
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| A view of the craftsmanship, metal and leather, and tanto-style blade tip. |
Some traditions hold that you must also give a coin when you give a knife as a gift. Then the person receiving the gift can give back the coin to the giver. This symbolizes it is an exchange rather than a gift and ensures the knife does not cut the friendship. I grew up with the tradition of giving our own coins to the giver of the knife. And as a coin collector of sorts, I usually have some interesting coins. So tonight, the gift in exchange was the first National Park Service gold coin we got upon coming to Colorado, a commemorative coin from the 100th anniversary of Rocky Mountain National Park (in 2015).
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| View of the front of the 100 year commemorative coin for Rocky Mountain National Park. |
My son was fascinated with the entire interaction, from friendship to food to knife to coin to conversation. And it was a great opportunity to model how to graciously accept a gift of the heart -- something I definitely need to work at -- and to also give a gift of the heart, while not making it simply about an exchange or expectation but rather something emblematic of so much more -- of friendship, an attitude of giving and sharing, and receiving, of gratitude and humility.
There was so much goodness in this brief interaction. Goodness that propagates outward in ways we may never know or understand. Goodness which we share with our children. And with you and those who will be bidding on this collaboration dinner auction item.
Three cheers for living and all the experiences therein.
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