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My wallet barely folds. I can assure you that it’s not because of cash. Most of my financial transactions are digital. I stash my life savings in a vault of tiny electronic ones and zeros.
Instead, this wallet stores sentiment. Fundraising discount cards that I forget to use. Insurance cards for a son who has moved away. Little scraps of memories I’ve tucked away for years.
But the most sentimental objects in my wallet — the reason it won’t fold — are my hunting and fishing licenses. These legal documents don’t just allow me to harvest our great state’s natural bounty, they grant rare access to living relatives and long dead ancestors.
Let me be clear. I am a sorry excuse for a hunter and angler. I’d be content to walk the woods with an empty gun or sit by the lake with a small container of gummy worms. No, I keep the licenses up to date because, once in a while, I am inspired to cast a line or load the rifle. If I do, and I swear I might, I’d hate to run afoul of the law. Besides, license fees support conservation and habitat. Let’s call it a contribution.
There’s a ritual to buying your licenses. A lot of stores sell them, including several bigger retail outfits. But I always buy mine at the Balsam Store, a little gas station and hardware store out in the woods of Itasca County. It’s near my house and I can see if they’re busy just by driving by. No sense in causing a fuss during morning rush.
I present my driver’s license and tell them what I want. This time of year I’m usually looking for small game and deer. Come spring, I’ll pick up my angler’s license. These acts together cost more than a grocery stop, and will produce far less food, but that’s decidedly not the point.