What I Learned From a Piece of Wood

I got to help my hubby in his shop yesterday.  I don't usually get to help in a hands on kind of way at his shop.  It's more of an exercise in my directionally gifted nature kind of interaction when he's working on a project for me. I felt like a super handy, wonder woman version of myself as I pulled planks out of the planer and fed them through the joiner time after time.  It was really interesting to get to be the woodwork helper for the day!

As an artist and creative writer, I'm always looking for life lessons in the everyday things we do. Helping at the wood shop did not disappoint.  As I helped support the planks of wood through the planer, it would occasionally get stuck and it needed a little bit of help to keep going.  As in, I had to brace my foot on the machine as I pulled the board out.  Life, too, is a refining process.  We do get stuck some times.  We can get a little warped in our thinking which causes us to get stuck when the pressure is on.  Instead of pushing through in our normal fashion, we need help.  We need someone to pull us along, as I pulled the board through the planer.  Or sometimes we need someone to push us a bit to get past a rough spot.

I loved the visual representation of the struggle.  The board was beautiful, but in order to be made into something usable and lasting, it had to be chiseled down from it's original condition.  We're the same way.  We can very easily get out of balance and off center in our thinking, whether it be from our families of origin or trauma that has happened along the way.  But if we decide we want to become something beautiful and useful, then we can pick an area an work on it a little at a time.  For example, if I want quit cussing, I could choose to eliminate one of the bad words at a time.  I could replace it with something else.  Or what if I want to eat healthier, but I don't know where to start. Start with one thing.  Eliminate soda and replace it with water.  Big change is hard, but a little change can be easier to incorporate to make lasting change.

What little thing are you going to shave off your habits or out of your life today?  Do you need someone to give you a little pull or a push?  Enlist them.  Now get on down the road to becoming you.

Make it a beautiful day, friends.

EDIT: If you'd like to check out what Custom Woodwork Designs is creating, you can follow them on Facebook.

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