Always check every pocket when doing laundry.
I think that's a basic rule for beginners that applies mostly to men's clothing. It seems that women have little use for pockets. And why should they when they carry luggage wherever they go?
But in a young boy's pockets, you never know what you might find. I always used my pockets as portable treasure chests. That has changed, though. I certainly don't carry a comb anymore.
Still, I need my pockets.
From the right front pocket, I pull out my pocketknife. Small, sharp and used often to open gifts or those boxes dropped on the front step. I take it everywhere.
I used to carry change all the time. No need now. Coins end up in a collection jar at home.
The right back pocket always has a white handkerchief. This habit dates back many years and has proved useful many times. (Don't bother arguing with me about Kleenex vs. hankies.) The left back pocket holds my wallet.
There are two essentials I must carry now: the cellphone and the glasses I might need to read menus. Both are irritating, especially the glasses, which usually get shoved between buttonholes on my shirt. The phone is crammed into an available pocket ... wherever.
My pockets were more interesting during my years as a newspaper editor. The shirt pocket always carried a pen or two. And all pockets, shirt and pants, were jammed with paper notes.
My pockets now reflect a less hectic life. I'm always ready, though, in case someone in the room hollers, "Anyone got a knife?"
I'm Lonny Cain, and that's my perspective.
Copy Edited by Eryn Lent
