How things change..

[Bart]

Some days ago, I realized I was wandering on the dark side of coticule spirit. I could manage to get a shaveable edge from my coticule but honing was becoming a kind of competition : always trying to have a better HHT, on a thiner hair at a further distance from the holding point. I was tackling the problem by the wrong end.
About twenty years ago, I began cycling with another spirit. I was not an atlete. I ride just for the pleasure it gives me : breathing the smell of nature, contemplating the countryside, hearing the sounds and feeling my muscles working. I have never tried to ride faster.

I recognize that sentiment. I've been there for over year when I was starting out. The first few months I enjoyed shaving with the straight razor, but after that, it became an obsession in search for a better edge. My dearest friend on this world, best man at my wedding, comrade in so many aspects started a couple of months later to shave with a straight razor than I did. He never really took the deep plunge into honing as I did. While he did perform blind shaving tests for me, he wasn't all that interested in better, best, and better still edges. Good was was good enough for him. While I was focussing on honing, always shaving with 2 or 3 razors at once to compare them, he just enjoyed his shaves with the shaveready razor he had, touching up when he felt the need. While I was looking for better edges, he just learned to master his razor and enjoyed the process. I only realized later that he was smarter than me...

Kind regards,
Bart.

 

[jfdupuis]

One of my special memories is of giving my father his last shave while on his death bed. He was 83 and asked the nurse for a shave and she refused because he was on blood thinners. How bad did she think she would cut him? I went right out and bought a three blade cartridge razor for the safety aspects and his shave was a very poignant moment for us both. He was a good old man.

Very touching story my friend. It's crazy how we all crave the little things during those moments...

JF