I carry a small pocket knife that includes scissors, a pen, and a small LED light. It is very useful, but I am unable to fly with it. I typically leave the knife at home or in my car at the airport.

Last Wednesday, I was off for a 4 day business trip, and as I walked into the airport I discovered I had brought my knife along. Inspired by Ted’s aquarium visit, I decided to look for a place to to hide the knife. I needed a space that was permanent and neglected, not likely to be discovered by some kid, security, or cleaning crew. There are a lot of plants in the airport, and I considered hiding it on the edge of a pot. Watering, though, might short the LED. Scanning as I walked, I looked at indentations in cement posts, phone booths (who uses them?), chairs, newspaper stands, and even a cardiac arrest emergency kit. I then spotted a self-service shipping station and walked in. Little more than a short hall with vending machines, a shipping scale, and a FedEx box, the station hid me well. There was a small space between the FedEx box and the back wall which seemed like a good spot. I slid the knife along the floor into the crack. It fit fine and was out of view. Off to the security gates.

Towards the end of the four day trip, I was eating lunch in Orlando with two company friends and told them I did not want to forget to retrieve my knife. I told them the story above. They were both alarmed that I had hidden a knife in the airport. It sounded illegal. Maybe a federal offense! I countered that the security gates cautioned that no knives were allowed past that point. This implies knives are allowed before this point. (Of course it also says no guns or bombs.) One of them said that when the same thing happened to him, he was worried about having a knife in the airport. So he went to the men’s room, scanned for security cameras, washed his hands, and then secretly slipped the knife into the paper towel as he dried his hands, throwing the knife away in the towel.

“I wanted to keep my knife,” I said. They both wished me luck on retrieving the knife and hoped I would not get arrested. Upon my return to Atlanta, I went to the shipping station and found my knife safely tucked in the shipping station’s knife garage. Good way to end a long trip.