What's it worth ?

           I don't know if ladies  get this question near as much
as men do.  I think women either have a better understanding
of sentimental value than men , or perhaps they are simply not
as hung up on the monetary value of things as we are.   Without
fail every time I show someone a gun, knife or tool one of the
first questions is "How much did that set ya back?" or "Nice..
what's it worth ?   Maybe I notice it more than I should because
I don't put a lot of stock in monetary value.  My toys must earn
their value.
       Knives are a perfect example.  I can really appreciate a well
made custom knife.  Some of the knife makers on the web these
days make some insanely beautiful knives.  Of course they come
with insanely large price tags.  No doubt the work involved and
choice materials used make them worth the cost, however a knife
only needs to preform one function.  Me being the tightwad that I
am contend that a sixty dollar blade will cut paracord just as well
as a four hundred and fifty dollar custom blade.  It may not look as
nice doing it ..but it will do the job.  I have acquired quite a few knives
over the years.  I can honestly say I have used almost all of them
extensively.  You will find no 'safe queens' in my collection.  All
have been at least been given a chance to earn their keep.  I do have
a couple custom made knives that I got super deals on but most of
my knives are fairly inexpensive models in the sixty to eighty dollar
range.  Some are fine models no longer being produced and a couple
are new state of the art models with the newest blends of steels.
But the ones that give me the greatest pride and the ones that get
carried more often are the ones passed down through family.  Cheap
steel.. plastic or wooden handles and over sharpened worn blades.
They just feel right ... no other way to describe it .  Oh the new ones
are a pleasure to use and look good  but they are really no match.
So the question is.. which one is the most valuable?  I guess it depends
on if your counting money or memories.
      I often wonder when out and about when someone feels the need
to brag about the cost of their gun or boat or car or such if they have
anything other than money to bring joy to their lives.  I hear stories
all the time like ..'Yea I had nice trains etc when I was young but I
sold them'.    I own quite a large collection of trains but only two that
I would never part with.  A 1952 Marx set worth about seventy five
dollars and a 1960 Flyer set worth quite a bit more because it is a
limited production model.  The only real value is they were the first
set and the last set my parents bought me.  The rest are just the
result of a love for collecting old things.  Though worth much more,
they could all go tomorrow with no regrets.  The fun and joy was in
acquiring them.  People can't buy that from me.
     I guess I'm saying  if you find something that brings you joy,  don't
try to fix a monetary value to it.  It doesn't have to be an heirloom.
It can be anything that brings back a memory or makes you think of
a person that's no longer around for one reason or another.  Maybe
it's something that makes you smile when you see it or triggers a
certain warmth or smell when touched.  These are the most valuable
things in our lives.  The problem is most don't realize this till later
in life.  But then again .. maybe that's not really a problem at all.
Maybe now is when we need those memories the most.
    Excuse me while I go whittle a spoon or something with my
million dollar knife  ................