My father’s Gift.

How one small gesture influenced my whole life.

I was probably around 10, he probably doesn’t remember this. I was a tall lanky lad obsessed with McGyver and Indiana Jones. I wanted to explore, jump from cliffs onto trees, and climb down as fast as I could. I wanted to find mysterious places and explore them, and I did.

My father came home one evening and gave me a brand new Swiss Army knife, a Victorinox Huntsman. We were going on a long hike with friends the next day, and he thought I was old enough to have my own. I will always remember how excited I was about all the things I was going to be able to do with it. I took it on our hike, I took it on vacation in Italy, I took it on my secret hikes with my friends. It not only gave me the immense joy of feeling as McGyver’s equal but also reinforced the desire to explore and live my dreams, and I did.

My father’s gift may have been a simple act of kindness to him, but it was much more to me. It was a call to action, a trigger event. Today, whether I’m at my desk or on the trail I always carry a Victorinox Huntsman in my pocket because it can come in handy, and it reminds me of my dreams and the person who allowed me to live them.

Don’t hesitate to perform little acts of kindness to your kids. Sometimes it can open doors you never knew where closed.