11/24/2025
Use the gifts you are given.
The men in my family are notorious for “saving it for a special occasion.“ I can remember my father doing this with a pair of socks because they were “too nice.” The truth is, you can make any occasion special simply by enjoying your gifts.
Over the weekend, I was fortunate to harvest three deer. Field dressing critters is not my strongest skill. For those of you unfamiliar, cracking the pelvis is an important step to properly preparing a deer. The first deer I dressed this weekend didn’t go as smoothly as I hoped. It included several video calls to my partner’s father. Eventually I was able to get it done, but didn’t use all the tools at my disposal. I made it more challenging and difficult for myself. This only increased my frustration and lack of patience.
For the better part of two years, this knife has sat on the shelf. My lovely and thoughtful partner, got this for me in hopes that I would use it to clean whatever game I was fortunate enough to kill.
In my mind, it was too nice. How could I use this? I don’t want to ruin it. I don’t want to get it dirty.
The truth is, I wasn’t honoring this gift. I wasn’t honoring the craftsmanship that went into forging it. I wasn’t honoring my partner by letting it collect dust.
It’s strange the things that cross your mind when slow down and reflect. For the other two deer I dressed this weekend, I used the knife. And it proved it’s worth. Not only did I knock the rust off my field dressing skills, I was also cracking bone in seconds.
Take this as a friendly reminder to use the gifts you’re given and use the gifts you have. Make every moment count, and every occasion has the potential to be special.
*** I’m including the letter from the craftsman who made the knife. I encourage you to read it and learn about the story of Woodline Acres.
Link in comments.
