When I was young, I remember getting frustrated because I couldn't make something as simple as a hammer work as well as my father could. When he had hammer in hand, nails never bent in half or veered sideways—they always went in straight and true. He made it look so easy.

I also remember my dad losing his temper when he couldn't find the tool he needed, usually because one of his six children had "borrowed" it to hold down one side of a blanket fort or for any number of other imaginative childhood uses. My father loved his tools and made sure that the ones he chose were quality. He always said that any job could be made easier if you had the right tool and knew how to use it properly.