File Under: Standing For Something
What you carry in your wallet can convey much information about you. If you are the owner of the typical overstuffed, hip-dislocating-butt-cheek-lifter-slash-assault-weapon wallet, you probably carry some sort of identification, pictures of your family or friends, important business cards, emergency health and contact information, notes written on scraps of paper, various tiny keepsakes to remind you of things, a slew of membership cards, an unused library card, and hopefully, funds of some sort whether currency or plastic. Some items carry more significance than others. They speak to what you believe and the things for which you stand. For example, your military id card, organ donor card, sobriety milestone commemorations, or voter registration card, to name a few, all speak to your commitments, values, and beliefs. Items of this nature are physical reminders, proof of choices you have made and actions you have taken in furtherance of causes you have supported.
Perhaps you carry something that says you are religious, a proud citizen of your homeland, a dedicated parent, a good Samaritan or a conscientious citizen. On the opposite end of the spectrum when you take stock of the things you carry with you everyday, nothing within the things close to your heart tells the world who you are or for what you stood. Maybe your wallet, physical or spiritual, contains more detritus than substance. That's OK. Every journey of self-actualization starts with a realization, and we all know that “knowing is half the battle.” I wise person once told me: every morning you are presented with the opportunity to make a choice; if at the end of the day you are displeased with the choices you have made to date, you have a golden opportunity to make a different choice tomorrow morning. It is never too late to take a stand, to join in, to believe in or be a part of something.
After nearly ten years of service holding all the useless crap one could stuff into a billfold, a loved one convinced me to get rid of my old, spine-destroying leather monstrosity as it had reached epic proportions of girth and density and threatened to warp the very fabric of time and space. Now I carry a lightweight, slim aluminum case with an accordion-style card carrier inside for just the essentials: ID, insurance card, debit/credit card, and emergency cash. Today I made 2 very important, long overdue additions to my new, utilitarian wallet. Two items that carry significance far beyond what their negligible physical weight would imply. Two items which identify me as a firm believer in Constitutionalism, personal responsibility, and someone who stands for independence and self-reliance. What's in my wallet? My new 2012 National Rifle Association of America membership card and my new state-issued Concealed Pistol/Revolver License. What is in my wallet are two pieces of plastic and paper that say unequivocally: I shall not be infringed.
