Wordbiker

After reading and responding to another thread about the relative quality of tools, I realized something about myself: I have a deep emotional attachment to my tools. Does anyone else have this same disfunction?

I'm not talking about the standard tools "growing legs" pain that goes with the thought of what it will cost to buy a replacement, but a much deeper feeling, more akin to someone telling you they did your spouse back in high school...then giving you explicit details. With me it goes much deeper than the price, even with tools that are "irreplaceable" due to no longer being manufactured.

As a person that makes my living with tools, formerly as a carpenter and now as a shop mechanic, it's almost a mania with me, a pride of having every single tool I need for a given task, along with a growing list of future tools for future tasks as I can afford them.

It has always been shocking to me to work alongside co-workers that are plying the exact same trade, yet either never seem to have the correct tools requiring me to provide them, or even worse have no tools at all. I find it amazing that any one person can expect to have someone else provide them the most crucial element of them making a living...especially when it is apparent they have no appreciation that without them, everyone would have to go home. Putting myself into the reverse situation, I would be nothing but ashamed and appalled at myself for such a gross oversight and dependence, and as soon as humanly possible...I'd be on a mission to acquire the proper implements.

This is perhaps an unhealthy view, but when someone comes along obviously lacking in the same deep commitment and disrespects or even (horror of horrors) destroys/loses a tool, especially one belonging to another, I am driven to thoughts of heinous violence against said person, none of which seem adequate to drive the point home deep into their soul (or perhaps their skull).

Prudence (and the restraining order) prevents me from expressing my thoughts about those that would actually deign to steal a tool...