Special Things and Trash Cans

Something About Special Things  
Dec 14, 2020

Have you ever picked up a certain something, held it in your hands, and realized it just gives you enjoyment to hold it?
It doesn't have to be expensive, or rare - it just suits you, and you feel good just looking at it in your hands.

Yesterday, I was examining some soft plastic baits I found at the boat ramp.
These were discarded items that I literally snatched from atop a garbage can.
But it's not just my cheap-ass nature that loves free stuff from trash cans.
Well, it is, but it's not only that.

Rather, its the molded in detail and the texture of these things that captivates me.
They are also scented with some mysterious "power enhancement" - the package says fish hold on to them 18 TIMES LONGER than other baits. 

I don't know what other baits they're referring to, but that's special.

Also, I should add that they have hooks already mounted in the them. 

That's a bonus by itself. 
They came in a little molded tray designed to fit them and show them off in the package.
All in all, the amount of research, development and manufacturing effort that went into getting them into someone's hands - just so they could be thrown away... well, that was monumental.
As these realizations gelled in my mind, these baits became "Special Things."


Natural fly tying materials are another of my Special Things, much the same as these soft baits.

I don't even need to tie flies with the materials to appreciate the materials.
Holding a dried out squirrel tail, crusty deer bucktail, or a feathered cape from some long-dead bird, one feels the POTENTIAL presented by these humble materials.
Where did they come from?
Since they're not on the critter anymore, just how did they get to me?
Under a magnifier, each hair or feather becomes a little world all its own.
Just pondering all the patterns I MIGHT tie with them is enough to make them Special Things 


Tools are also special, and I have a lot of tools.

These are also much like the fly tying materials; they are an an exercise in potential. 
Some I have gathered over the years, some I inherited from my father and step-father. The nice thing about decent tools is they last a very long time, and their purpose for existing never diminishes.
Many of them are tools I only occasionally use, but that's not what matters.
The important thing is they represent what CAN BE, more than what is. 
This isn't avarice or hoarding, this is love. That makes them Special Things. 


There is one of my Special Things that may be a little valuable: an old Ruger
Mark I, .22 pistol.

This has been in my family as long as I can remember, and it came to me when my parents passed away.
It has a 6" tapered barrel, and it's a "target model."
It is the first gun I can ever remember shooting, and hitting anything with.
I was about 6 at the time, and I can still see the old bottles and the flying glass in my mind.
I still have the original box and paper work with it, too. These show that my MOTHER bought the thing in 1961, which makes it all the more a Special Thing.

How about that 20 year old Ford F-150 I drive?
Ford liked it so much they inducted it into their High Mileage Club. 

When it breaks, I fix it. If something goes wrong, I take care of it.
It tows my boat, hauls around other things I consider special, and fits me like an old shoe or pair of worn jeans. Its a Special Thing.


By the way, my old boots and jeans have been all mended or repaired at least once. I look forward to putting them on. They, too are Special Things. 


We each have our special things. They make us happy.
To others, they may seem certainly unique, maybe quirky, or even unimaginable. 
And, I'm pretty sure young people don't look at it quite this way.
I'm not knocking our youth - heck, I have been one myself.
Of course, they have things they like, things that are special to them.

But, could a 20-something really appreciate those soft plastic trash-can lures the way I do?
Maybe a rare few, but I think it takes a certain grace of years to embrace the significant 'why" of something that gives you pleasure. 
In the end, "Special Things" require a sense of appreciation and gratitude for the smaller things you come across in life.

For a thing to be "special," it has to sneak up on you.
It's a light bulb coming on.
It's a sudden flash of things coming together, in an awareness you didn't expect.
"Wow, how special is THAT?!" you catch yourself saying.
And in that moment, you know you have a new Special Thing.

I can tell you this much: I'll never look at boat ramp trash cans the same way again. 

Thanks and Tight Lines,

David

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