Kohai999
Second Degree Cutter
- Joined
- Jul 15, 2003
- Messages
- 12,554
Recently celebrated a momentous birthday...in Las Vegas, of all places, at the SHOT Show, the Antique Arms and Armor show, and right before leaving Las Vegas, the Tactical Knife Invitational. Was surrounded by great friends and good wishes, for the most part.
My good friends Ed Schempp, Jeff Loffer and Thomas Welk figured highly on this occasion. Thomas knows it, but Ed and Jeff may not as much.
It was a time for reflection and enjoyment. Have known Ed and Jeff for damn close to 20 years, and neither have ever been anything but cordial and fun to be around. It's appreciated, exemplary and never forgotten.
Spent a lot of time over the course of two days during SHOT Show at the Kershaw booth, where I saw many interesting people.
Susan Dundas and Thomas Ward are a joy to have a conversation with, and if you ever have the opportunity, it will be worthwhile and good!
While at the Kershaw booth, my good friend Gustavo(Gus) Cecchini stopped me in my tracks with a question.
He asked "If someone is your friend, and they could use your help, and you don't give it, what does that say?"
Have been thinking about that for almost 10 days....I can't think of a time in the last 20 years when someone needed my help that I didn't give it....either obviously, or secretly.
My definition of "friend" is someone that I would kill or die for. It hasn't changed in 30 years.
This definition is mine....I have many friends who don't look at it this way.....so I'm just going to say this.....I appreciate the question that Gus posed to me.....in reflection....you are either someone's friend or you are not....if you CHOOSE not to help a friend in a time of need, you are not a friend. If you CANNOT help, that may be a different story.
In discussing this conversation with another friend, he posited that I ask too much of my friends, and he was concerned that I would die alone and friendless...yet somehow, I have more friends now than I did 10 years ago, and at the root of it, my friend knows his own shortcomings and that our relationship is on the wane, even that it might be over completely.....and I'm ok with this...I hope he is.
How this ties in with custom knives is the friendships that you do have and that you think you have will be defined over time and trials.
You all know the term "fair weather friends"....it applies to friendships that are untested by trial....but when you NEED someone, are they there for you?
It all came to a head at the Tactical Knife Invitational, probably a place that I don't belong, and will not be going back to, where a "friend" decided that it was more important to get the money than do the right thing....and another "friend" decided to open his big fat mouth and continue the "wrong" thing.
Friends that showed themselves that night?
Bigtime, much love, Kylee Allen, The Begg's, Gustavo Cecchini, Steve D'lack, Dave Ellis, Kirby Lambert, Phil and Judy Lobred, the Obatake Family, Mark Strauss and Ryan Weeks
Thank you all so much for your steadfast honesty, integrity and support.
For the rest, every day is a new day, filled with happy surprises and sad disappointments....what goes around, comes around....karma will be huge in 2016, sometimes it will be instant!
Got some great knives, including a Microtech UTX70 with spirograph damascus, some killer ZT's and an Edo period kozuka handle now completely fit up and looking "sharp".
Any of you have a good "friend" story?
Best Regards,
STeven Garsson
My good friends Ed Schempp, Jeff Loffer and Thomas Welk figured highly on this occasion. Thomas knows it, but Ed and Jeff may not as much.
It was a time for reflection and enjoyment. Have known Ed and Jeff for damn close to 20 years, and neither have ever been anything but cordial and fun to be around. It's appreciated, exemplary and never forgotten.
Spent a lot of time over the course of two days during SHOT Show at the Kershaw booth, where I saw many interesting people.
Susan Dundas and Thomas Ward are a joy to have a conversation with, and if you ever have the opportunity, it will be worthwhile and good!
While at the Kershaw booth, my good friend Gustavo(Gus) Cecchini stopped me in my tracks with a question.
He asked "If someone is your friend, and they could use your help, and you don't give it, what does that say?"
Have been thinking about that for almost 10 days....I can't think of a time in the last 20 years when someone needed my help that I didn't give it....either obviously, or secretly.
My definition of "friend" is someone that I would kill or die for. It hasn't changed in 30 years.
This definition is mine....I have many friends who don't look at it this way.....so I'm just going to say this.....I appreciate the question that Gus posed to me.....in reflection....you are either someone's friend or you are not....if you CHOOSE not to help a friend in a time of need, you are not a friend. If you CANNOT help, that may be a different story.
In discussing this conversation with another friend, he posited that I ask too much of my friends, and he was concerned that I would die alone and friendless...yet somehow, I have more friends now than I did 10 years ago, and at the root of it, my friend knows his own shortcomings and that our relationship is on the wane, even that it might be over completely.....and I'm ok with this...I hope he is.
How this ties in with custom knives is the friendships that you do have and that you think you have will be defined over time and trials.
You all know the term "fair weather friends"....it applies to friendships that are untested by trial....but when you NEED someone, are they there for you?
It all came to a head at the Tactical Knife Invitational, probably a place that I don't belong, and will not be going back to, where a "friend" decided that it was more important to get the money than do the right thing....and another "friend" decided to open his big fat mouth and continue the "wrong" thing.
Friends that showed themselves that night?
Bigtime, much love, Kylee Allen, The Begg's, Gustavo Cecchini, Steve D'lack, Dave Ellis, Kirby Lambert, Phil and Judy Lobred, the Obatake Family, Mark Strauss and Ryan Weeks
Thank you all so much for your steadfast honesty, integrity and support.
For the rest, every day is a new day, filled with happy surprises and sad disappointments....what goes around, comes around....karma will be huge in 2016, sometimes it will be instant!
Got some great knives, including a Microtech UTX70 with spirograph damascus, some killer ZT's and an Edo period kozuka handle now completely fit up and looking "sharp".
Any of you have a good "friend" story?
Best Regards,
STeven Garsson
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