No More Excuses, Get in the Shop!
Just last night I started making some changes to my life. No, I didn’t buy a plane ticket to Edge-of-the-rain-forest South America so I could chain myself to a tree in order to stop deforestation. Though I think deforestation is an unnecessary and unfortunate byproduct of uninformed and newly capitalistic societies, I think my energies are well focused elsewhere.
No, the changes I began to make last night were much more simple. For the last 5 months I’ve been growing my hair out for the cold weather. Last night, I had my wife shave it all off (again) for a couple of reasons – it’s getting warmer, and I’ll be biking to the train station for the Spring, Summer, and Fall, so I don’t want my hair to get messed up by a helmet.
I had just returned from the local sports-focused big box store with a shopping bag full of bicycle-related goodies. The change that I made this morning was actually getting on the bike and riding to the train station. I know some people might not see that as much of a difference from my first change (the haircut) but actually DOING instead of planning to do is a major feat.
What I’ve come to realize this morning is that our woodworking endeavors sometimes mirror the desirable and undesirable traits that we exhibit in our lives. Many of us plan to do great things in our shops. We talk to our friends and neighbors, our spouses and our contacts online about the next big project, or the new design we come up with – or even, that new jig that we are going to build that will solve all of our problems in the shop.
But, what are we really doing. Paying lip service to our passion. The jig never gets built. The new design remains either on paper or is fading from your memory. That big project becomes a small spice rack or new shelf for the coat closet.
In contrast look at what those energetic young people are doing outside right now. Go ahead, take a look. Well, I’m assuming that you’ll read this during daylight hours, while people are still up and about. Anyway, what I’m talking about is look at all of those people who enjoy jogging, walking, biking, swimming, orienteering, whatever… They are out there doing it every day. Actually doing it.
It’s Spring in the Northern Hemisphere right now. It won’t be for long. Soon it’ll be Summer. Then Leaves will start to fall and then it’ll be bone chillingly cold again. When it gets that cold, that’s it for me. I spend at least 3 months making excuses for why I’m not in the shop. But right now, I’m getting back in the saddle.
I spent an hour in the shop two nights ago just milling up the lumber for my next iteration of the X-Leg Table. This was supposed to be my Winter project, but it has become my Spring project instead. What got me out to the shop at 8pm on a Tuesday night? Me thinking ‘I can sit on my butt watching TV, or I can DO something. DOING is better than doing nothing.’ So I got out to the shop and jointed and planed 6 boards of Lyptus.
I’d love to show you this Lyptus now, because it is some amazing wood. But, that’ll have to wait for a podcast.
Tags: Balding, Exercising, Motivation, woodwork, Woodworking
