A Man's Pockets

I was standing in line at my local convenience store this morning waiting to pay for my breakfast pizza. The older gentleman in front of me was paying for his coffee, when he reached into his pocket to get some change.

Now, this action in and of itself is nothing unusual, but what he pulled out of his pocket made me giggle.

A kernel of corn fell on the counter.

And that one simple item from that man's pocket told me right away that he was a farmer. Remember, I live in Iowa, where corn is plentiful and the land around me is planted with corn - so finding a kernel of corn in your pocket if you live in Iowa is not a strange thing.

But it got me to thinking.

You can tell alot about a man by the contents of his pockets.

As all women know, a man's pockets can contain the strangest things, and most of them will end up in the washing machine.

Is that man a golfer? I'll bet you'll find a tee or two and a divot fixer in his pockets.
Is that man a mechanic? I'll bet you'll find a washer or nut and bolt in his pockets.
Is that man a construction worker? You just might find some nails.

Anyway, when I got to work I conducted a little experiment among my male coworkers. I asked several of the men I work with to empty their pockets for me, so I could see just what kind of man they were.

Let's see- (Real names have been changed to protect the guilty!).

Bob, the computer draftsman, had the following items in his pockets:

• a memory stick for his computer
• a small flossing pick
• coins
• Lifesaver peppermint candy
• car keys
• chap stick
• a small pocket knife

That's a lot of stuff for one pocket. You can tell that Bob knows a bit about computers because only computer geeks carry memory sticks in their pockets. He also likes to keep his breath fresh by regular flossing and the occasional breath mint, and he may possibly need to cut something.

Keith, a project manager, had very few items:

• coins
• paper money held in a money clip
• BUT, the money clip also folded out into a pocket knife

You can tell that Keith doesn't like much in his pockets, which means he likes things neat and orderly OR he just plain doesn't like the extra weight. But at least he can afford lunch. Notice that he also may need to cut something.

Paul had the following things in his pocket:

• coins
• 2 phones - 1 for work and 1 personal
• keys
• breath strips

You could tell by the phones that Paul needs to be available for whoever thinks he's important. Paul also likes his breath fresh but doesn't seem to need to cut anything. When I asked him why he didn't carry a pcket knife he said he used to carry nail clippers which he used to cut his nails, but he stopped carrying them when he got obsessive about cutting his nails all the time!

And last but not least there is Jeremy - a cost analyst.

• coins
• keys on a key chain
• no pocket knife

You can't tell much about Jeremy by the things he keeps in his pocket. He says he keeps most of his stuff in his car (including a pocket knife) because he doesn't like stuff in his pockets. But there was one item that told a story. The key chain he had his keys on was a small baseball mitt given to him by his son. As you might guess, he is a huge sports fan. He coaches at the high school and middle school levels and is very involved with our local sports teams. And I guess he only cuts things when he's driving.

By the end of the day I had looked in 25 pockets.

I found signs of their work.

I found signs of their personalities.

I found items that let me know they were carpenters, plumbers or office personnel. I found items that told of likes and dislikes.

I was most surprised to find a common theme among the items most men carry in their pockets - coins. paper money, keys, etc. but the most remarkable thing to me was that most men carry a pocket knife.

Remarkable why?

Because most women DON'T carry pocket knives in their purses.