What's in your pocket or purse?

Every evening as I get ready for bed, I empty my pockets of whatever ended up in them during the day. As I was dumping everything out the other evening, I wondered what others pack around every day in their pants or shirt pocket. At times, I have the same thing in the evening as I started out with in the morning, but there are times when I end up with some extras. Maybe a bolt or washer or a nut. Maybe a hose clamp. Maybe one of those hose rubbers for the garden hose. Maybe some change. Who knows what. I've been known to walk through the garden and stuff cucumbers and tomatoes in my pockets. Ask Marge!

I always carry a set of keys to the pickup, the house and the padlocks we use around here. Always carry my pocket knife, which is a Case two-blade Stockman knife. I always carry a Vick's Nasal Inhaler. I've carried these same three things for the last 20 or 30 years. Dad was similar except Dad never carried a set of keys. Didn't have to. The house was never locked, and the keys were always in the pickup or car. Why carry a set of keys if you don't need them? Dad also carried an Old Timer three-blade pocket knife, and he also carried a Vick's Nasal Inhaler. I carry a pair of Crescent channel-lock pliers in the side pocket of my bibs. One thing Dad did carry was a coin purse. You squeezed it and it opened up. Kind of a neat deal. I dump my change in the evening, so almost never carry change or a wallet. Dad did carry a billfold most of the time. I don't. Dad also carried a sack of Bull Durham, and he'd roll his own smokes. He also carried a plug of chewing tobacco. I don't.

I have a pocket on my bibs that I carry my phone in, but, of course, Dad never carried a phone. He did carry a notebook most of the time and a ballpoint pen in his shirt pocket. I carry a carpenter pencil, a small flashlight, a small AT&P screwdriver and an ever-sharp pencil and a pen. I took an HVAC class at the Vo Tech, and the teacher Bob Diehl said to always carry a permanent black marker so I carry one as well.

When I was pastoring, I had a set of Cross pens and pencils that I carried. One pen was a ball pen and one was a fountain pen. I really liked the fountain pen and used it a bunch. Pencil was OK but not my favorite. The lead was too big. I really like a small lead ever-sharp pencil.

Back in college, I had a small slide rule that I used in the classes I was taking. It was small enough I could carry it in my shirt pocket yet big enough you could see the lettering on it. A slide rule is kind of like a mechanical handheld computer that could do multiplication and division. Really cool. I doubt they are even used anymore.

What we carry is probably dependent on our job or vocation. A doctor packs a stethoscope around with them all the time. The doctors I go see also have an oximeter or a device to check one's oxygen saturation in their blood stream. We bought one of those when I started having issues with my lungs. Some of the nurses have a deal to check one's temperature. Some carry it in their pocket. When I'm smoking meat on our smoker, I usually have a temp probe in my pocket. I usually use the temp as an indicator as to when the meat is done or needs wrapped in aluminum foil.

For years I always carried a small aluminum cross in my pants pocket. There were times when the cross had a quiet reassuring presence, and there were times when I gave the cross away.

So the million-dollar question is what's in your pocket or your purse? And then a follow up is why?