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Paperwork: Even my pockets tell a story about how my life has changed over time · Illinois Valley - Shaw Local

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  Speaker 1: Paperwork. Even my pockets tell a story about how my
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  life has changed over time. Written by Lonnie Kane, This
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  article is being read by an automated voice brought to
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  you by Everlet always check every pocket when doing laundry.
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  I assume that's one of the top five vital instructions
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  to beginners. It certainly had to be something moms learned
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  from their mothers. I also assume this rule involved mostly
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  men's clothing. History and observation have taught me that women
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  have little use for pockets, and why should they when
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  they carry luggage wherever they go. But in a young
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  boy's pockets, well, you never know what you might find.
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  I'm sure my mother was not pleased with some discoveries.
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  I have always used my pockets as portable treasure chests.
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  They carried things of great importance. Those things have changed,
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  though over time. I don't carry a home anymore. I
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  had these thoughts while emptying my pockets before tossing jeans
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  into the laundry basket. I always have something pocketed, but
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  it's not the same as it used to be. My
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  pockets tell a little story about me. I guess there
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  are a few surprises now. I'm retired ak boring, but
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  it still tells a story. From the right front, I
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  pull out my pocket knife, small, sharp and used often
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  especially for opening gifts or those boxes dropped on the
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  front step. I take it everywhere. It's a habit, a
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  bad habit. If you're stopped in the security line at
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  the airport, had to buy a new knife after that
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  stupid mistake, then I pull a few coins from the
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  left front pocket. Doesn't happen often. I used to always
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  carry change, no need Now most change comes from a
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  fast food drive up. I leave the coins in one
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  of the trays in my truck console. Coins in my
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  pocket end up in a collection jar. At home, I
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  might pull out gas or food receipts, a small screw
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  found on the patio, or a key. Nothing that stays
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  like the knife except the right back pocket always has
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  a white handkerchief. This habit dates back many years and
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  has proven useful many times. Don't bother arguing with me
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  about Kleenex for hankies. And the left back pocket holds
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  my wallet with driver's license and plastic money and would
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  you believe cash? Sometimes what I wear depends on the
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  pockets that come with it, because there are two more
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  essentials now that must be carried besides the wallet, the
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  cell phone and cheaters or glasses that I might need
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  to read menus. Both are irritating, especially the glasses. There
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  are few comfortable options, and I see them all tested
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  by others. Glasses shoved up onto the forehead, Glasses tucked
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  in between buttonholes on the shirt or bulging in a
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  pocket on the shirt, or dangling from something like a necklace.
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  They fit okay into a cocot pocket, but not easily
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  into my jean's pocket. So I often slide one of
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  the arms into a front pocket and carry the glasses
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  like a side arm. Like I said, irritating the cell phone,
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  I slide into the right rear pocket till I am
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  seated and can drop it on the table or whatever.
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  Or if I am wearing a coat, I love those
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  inside pockets that offer easy drop and pull. The pocket
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  on the inside of jackets or a suit or sport
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  coat are the best. Many times over the years I
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  would whip out my reporter's notebook ready for action. Ha.
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  Maybe it's the kid in me that loves pockets. My
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  pockets definitely were much more interesting during my years as
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  an editor at the local newspaper. The shirt pocket always
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  carried a pen or two, and paper was shoved into
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  a pocket, so anytime I had an idea, I could
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  jot it down. My pockets were full shirt and pants
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  with bits of paper. They ended up scattered across the
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  office and our house. I carried paper and pen now
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  and then, and still love shoving that notebook into an
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  inside pocket, but often I just peck notes into my
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  ever present phone. My pockets now reflect a less hectic life.
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  They are more stay at home pockets. I'm always ready, though,
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  in case someone in the room hollers, anyone got a knife.
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  Lonnie Kane, retired managing editor of The Times in Ottawa,
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  also was a reporter for the Herald News and Joliet
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  in the nineteen seventies. His paperwork email is Lonniejacaine at
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  gmail dot com, ormail The News Tribune four twenty six
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  Second Street, LaSalle, Aisle six one three zero one