What are the positive things you love and why?

David Mary

pass the mustard - after you cut it
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Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
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Jul 23, 2015
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I don't know why I haven't thought to start this thread in my sub forum until now. I'll start. The three things I love most in the world (that are not a person, or an ideology) are:

Knives, and making them
Physical Culture (ie exercise)
Chess


A knife is a practical thing, and beautiful on account of aesthetics and what it can do for a person. It gives us greater control over our environment than we have with just out hands, it is a tool of convenience and a conduit of creativity. By making knives, I can give the world something truly good that makes peoples' lives a little easier and a little more convenient. In jobs I've had over the years, it often became necessary to either compromise my principles, or leave (like call centers that are focused more on metrics than actually solving customers' issues). Making knives to me, represents the pursuit of enriching the lives of others. No other occupation I've ever made a living by has even come close to being as rewarding as it has been to serve you all as a knife maker.

Exercise keeps the body healthy, and prolongs the vigor of youth. It enables us to move well and to engage in many activities for both enjoyment and work. Sharing the love of exercise with others, to me, is sharing the love of life, with the hope that we all may be able to live it more fully by the practice thereof.

Chess is a game so sublimely simple in its rules that anyone can learn it, yet so infinitely complex in its execution that it is impossible to stop learning about the game, no matter how many times you've played it. Mindful engagement in playing chess expands the mind, and trains it to improve in thinking and planning. Like with exercise, chess, to me, represents the mutual pursuit of self improvement when engaged in and shared with others.
 
Dewdrops on roses
And whiskers on kittens
Bright copper kettles
And warm woolen mittens
Brown paper packages tied up with strings...

I like sharing my interests with the kids, although success is hit and miss.

An old pair of boots

Puppies make me happy no matter how grim prospects seem

Seeing my grandparents and my kids together is a wonderful experience, I'll be 35 in a few weeks and my grandparents are all still around (despite a couple of close calls this past year). I'm pretty lucky in that regard.

Quiet evenings at home watching movies with the family. I know tv isn't great for anybody, but I still enjoy my flicktoons.

An honest days work, going home dog tired and dirty, but with the satisfaction of a job well done.

A shower after aforementioned work.
 
I love learning new things about almost any subject I'm interested in.

I love the technology that allows me to forge friendships with people I've never met and maintain friendships with folks far afield, in places from Baltimore to Oregon, from Philadelphia to Guam.

I love playing engaging, challenging videogames with my friends that are far afield, so I can spend time with them that isn't just talking on the phone and still feel like I can enjoy their presence.

I love pets enough that I ended up dealing with them as a career.

I love cooking and feeding people. Figuring out a perfect recipe, especially if it's simple, quick and easy to reproduce feels like I puzzled out a cheat code for life and it's great to add one more to the regular rotation.

I love learning to lock small joys and moments of happiness in my memory. Bad memories get stuck naturally, but good stuff tends to be more ephemeral and consciously locking it into my mind as a pick me up when times are rough has been a powerful tool to help me through difficult times.
 
I also get a ton of joy playing live music, and the unique feeling when musicians gel and harmony is achieved.
Oh yes. I’ve been into music since I was 9 years old. It wasn’t until my later years, maybe about 10 years ago that I got more serious about it and just by luck met up with a bunch of similarly aged guys when the magic happened. Never before and never again since have I played with a group where everything clicked from the very start. We were getting semi-regular gigs for really awful pay, but we didn’t care. We were starting to get a following and were a phone call away for opening up for a local Lynyrd Skynyrd tribute band at a good sized club that probably would have led to a regular thing, when our guitarist passed away suddenly. We tried to replace him, but there was no replacing him … and the magic was gone. I resumed with one of the guys doing a little duo thing, which wasn’t the same, but it was still fun. But then we went our separate ways, and that was that. Haven’t played out in well over 5 years now. Still got most of the gear cluttering up my office, though.
 
My wife: she is the best person I have ever known.

Animals of most sorts. Dogs are my favorite. I love watching wildlife like bears, moose, etc. I have an understanding with squirrels near the cabin that they don’t tear anything up and I stock a cache with almonds for them. I have had wolves watch me do chores from very close- very cool to see.

Nature: I love being alone in the woods hearing animals and simple things like rain falling on devil’s club leaves, smells of the plants or the scent of a bear when hiking.

Our remote cabin and land: Where I can just decompress and not see or hear anyone. 6 miles from the road, bordered by state land with gorgeous views of 3 mountain ranges.

Fly-fishing: relaxing and fun and being in nature on creeks/rivers.

Martial arts: have studied multiple styles most of my life and love teaching.

Knives- duh

Guns and shooting
 
Oh yes. I’ve been into music since I was 9 years old. It wasn’t until my later years, maybe about 10 years ago that I got more serious about it and just by luck met up with a bunch of similarly aged guys when the magic happened. Never before and never again since have I played with a group where everything clicked from the very start. We were getting semi-regular gigs for really awful pay, but we didn’t care. We were starting to get a following and were a phone call away for opening up for a local Lynyrd Skynyrd tribute band at a good sized club that probably would have led to a regular thing, when our guitarist passed away suddenly. We tried to replace him, but there was no replacing him … and the magic was gone. I resumed with one of the guys doing a little duo thing, which wasn’t the same, but it was still fun. But then we went our separate ways, and that was that. Haven’t played out in well over 5 years now. Still got most of the gear cluttering up my office, though.
Glad you were able to enjoy that special time with your band mates. I am sorry to hear about the loss of one of them. Getting a group together and keeping it together is a challenge, and when you do, it's quite intimate.

I have been very blessed to be able to play three to four times a month for the past 30 years. I float between several bands, and sometimes fill in for traveling singers.

It helps that Hawaii loves to throw parties, and tourists like to dance.
I took was a Rock Star in a galaxy far far away. Good memories fer sure !
I used to gig with a rock band when I was a kid that would open for Candlebox when they were touring the area. We had an old Ford van with our faces painted on the side and no heater. I used to freeze my rump riding around, but it was totally worth it. Great memories. Got banned from a few small towns too. Lol. I guess we started small riots one too many times.

Ahhhhhh... teenage angst. Those were the days.
 
I have to add some more! 🤣

Ice cold watermelon in summer when doing chores outside- nothing more quenching.

Chocolate anytime!

A fire in the woodstove after clearing snow.

The many different shapes of ice crystals in really cold weather.

Fresh animal tracks (so much easier to find in winter) .

Wolves howling back when I howl at them in winter.
Squirrels by the cabin shrieking/chirping when the see me show up knowing I brought them the almonds. We are the only humans they have seen and my land neighbor has a cabin on 80 acres a mile away. Watching magpies, ravens, and camp-robber birds try to steal nuts from the squirrels is hilarious.

I miss hearing elk bugle from when I lived in Idaho and Montana- I love that sound. There are elk here but not the areas I recreate.

Having snowmachine start when it is -20F and heading back from the cabin.

I love dragonflies and appreciate them following me while cutting my lawn or using brush cutter at property. Having them land on me always brings a smile.

Hearing woodpeckers going after spruce bark beetles.

I love that I live in Alaska. I can’t explain it but it is the only place I ever felt was home.
 
👆 that would make a great kitchen dagger Wharncliffe on one side and regular blade on other. I love it. Say 7-8"... David...?

I live for a good cup of coffee.

I apparently also love planting perineals. And doing yard improvements with the family.

A good campfire

Riding atv's with my family. Casual nothing crazy.

Calm summer days watching the birds at the feeders enjoying a campfire and adult beverage.

Passing my joy of things to my daughter. She is now hooked on David Mary knives.
 
For me it's;

1. Music - I have been listening to pop and rock music since I was around 7 years old. My uncle gave me the first two Beatles albums around that time. Soon after I got an AM/FM transistor radio and I listened to it every day when I was a kid.
I still listen to music at least an hour or two every day. I have a huge vinyl album collection. Music brings me so much joy and takes me back to memories of so many great times...

2. Knife Making - This is what really helps me relax and winds me down. It's a solitary thing for me and I just love creating things. I can also indulge in music while I make knives!

3. Reading - I was never that great of a student and was considered to be quite the troublemaker, but I always loved reading and I still do. Nothing beats a good book to transport you on a journey to another place, time or world!
 
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