SecondIron's Blog

Sharpening Iron to Live Second

Everyday Carry Hank Worth Carrying

A handkerchief also known as a “Hank” has renewed an old tradition of a man’s everyday carry option. I remember my grandfather would never be found without a hank in his pocket. A tradition passed down to my dad and at one point attempted to be passed down to me. I have numerous white hanker chiefs buried in my sock drawer. Usually, they only see the light of day on weddings or funerals where tears likely would be shed. Over the past few years, I started carrying bandannas instead of a hank for everyday use. That is until I was introduced to a real hank, now the bandannas will get lost in the drawer as well. Men, in general, are messy humans; we need hanks to manage our daily lives. Whether it be for a bloody, I mean a runny nose, or perhaps to wipe the wing sauce out of our beards or the grease off our hands. We usually need a way to clean ourselves on a regular basis and at times even the slobber of our best friend, our dogs. Recently I was introduced to handmade hanks that take everyday carry to a whole new level. Instead of a thin bandanna that gets dirty easily, these hanks are durable, double-sided and stylish. Even if the hank remains clean all day, it provides a perfect place for the end of the day pocket dump. I sometimes shy away because I don’t want to be too ‘showy-offy’ but the older I get I think, ‘You […]

25 Core Manly Skills Every Man Should Have

In a day and age where gender lines are blurred and chivalry is fading away, there are some basic skills every man should have. Let me preface by saying these skills are not limited to men, but more so should come second nature to us. They are life skills you may or may not have been given or shown by your father or grandfather. As the years go by some of the greatest skills a man could possess are slipping through our fingers. Men are not as present in the lives of their kids these days so some of the skills may need to be self-taught or relearned. Become a Master of Language – Both the spoken and written word have become lost art. Avoid using slang and jargon, master your first language, perhaps even learn a second. Be a Reader – Reading will add to your arsenal of topics both at the water cooler, the bar or over dinner. Read the classics, history and self-improvement. Read more than just the articles in Sports Illustrated or Field & Stream. Pick up a Hobby – Men that are all work and no play are well boring to be around. Learn to fish, hunt, woodworking, or whatever. By adding versatility in your life, you become more interesting. Be Date-able – This goes for married and single men alike. Married men, date your wives, date your daughters, show them how much they mean to you. Single men, have respect for yourself and those you might date. Another notch […]

Why I Wanna Be Like Mike

Men today need role models to help set our sites on success. Sometimes these role models are found in unusual places and circumstances. In the world today we will take any and all we can find. Remember the commercials featuring brown-haired Mikey, where he liked his LIFE cereal. The “Mikey Likes It” commercials if shown today would probably go ‘viral’. Then there were the commercials featuring Michael Jordan. “I wanna be like Mike” became one of the biggest slogans of all time. Everyone wanted to be like Mike. If this were the case today. Well we would all be running around in tag-less tighty-whiteys and t-shirts. With all the political and civil unrest lately. The violence in our communities around the country that has brought Lady Liberty to her knees. We search for answers and a need for understanding. The Michael Brown tragedy has become a pinnacle of civil unrest around the country. The racial divide has become a chasm in a matter of weeks. We have had looting and rioters in our streets. This tragedy among others recently has brought about anger and animosity. Anyone looking in from the outside could assume we are a country destined for self-destruction. We look to our leadership for guidance and yet instead they take sides. Rather than dealing with the core problems we face our own genocide. A country built on the backbone of faith needs to rebuild upon its foundation. Few words of wisdom that I came across that may provide some answers. “Dirty Jobs” mogul and now star in […]