Opening Day

In an effort to post some fun things on here I give you this picture. The Hamon family are all Red Sox fans. Thanks to Avo and Nana Carol for providing the hats for the kids. I know they don't play today, but baseball is back! Let's go Red Sox!

Woodworking: A paralell to my life

A friend asked me to describe why I work with wood. Being the parent of a three year old my first reaction was "because I want to". Although that was meant humorously my three year old actually helps me understand why I DO work with wood. He has a great book that we enjoy together. It's by Max Lucado and is called: You Are Special.

The main character of the book is a "Wemmick" named Punchinello who is your basic ugly duckling. Eli is the wood carver that made Punchinello along with all of the other Wemmicks. The idea of the book is that the Wemmicks give each other stars and dots (good vs. bad marks) based upon outward appearances and abilities. Punchinello gets a lot of dots for his appearance and silly mistakes. One day Punchinello goes to visit Eli at his workshop. Eli comforts Punchinello by telling him that outward appearances and abilities don't mean much to him. He doesn't put any weight behind the stars and dots. He loves Punchinello because he created and formed him. He explains that when Punchinello believes that truth the stars and dots won't matter to him either. What a great children's story and life lesson about how we should view each other.....in the light of who created us not our own view on creation.

So what does this children's story have to do with woodworking? For me it is a direct parallel to why I work with wood. I love taking a stack of ugly, rough and unfinished wood and turning into something beautiful. I like owning the idea of the piece. I enjoy the trials of sketching out the piece. I find great joy in choosing the materials. I love hearing the "swish" of my hand planes across the surface as the wood is transformed from rough to smooth. I like smell of fresh plane shavings from my bench top. I love to see the inner beauty of the grain patterns in the wood appear as you take the time to work with it. I love finding the growth ring patterns that make each piece unique and matching them up. I like the accomplishment of seeing a finished project. I like the joy that it brings others to create something we can all enjoy and use. I like knowing where all the flaws of my piece exist and not pointing it out to anyone else. I like knowing that no one can take away my inner joy for a job well done. I love the satisfaction of hard work.

The greatest reason I work with wood is because it parallels my life. I realize I am the stack of wood that is being created into something new. I am being daily transformed and molded. The people, places, experiences, joys, hardships and lessons learned are the things that are making me into who I am. Each one of those things has made its mark, taken its cut on me, rounded my rough edges, exposed beauty & ugliness and allowed me to show myself to others. Each day I am being refined into the perfect Wemmick. It may not be what I think of as perfection, but it is perfect in my Creators eyes. I am daily reminded that I am loved, created and set free. Most importantly I am reminded that I am a work in progress, will only get better with time and attention and that the maker wants to give me those things. That is why I work with wood.

Midlife crisis

Recently a friend of mine challenged me with a question that has truly influenced my thinking as of late. He asked me simply, “What is your purpose?” On the surface it seemed like a rather simple question to answer, but when I drilled down to look at the heart of the question it overwhelmed me. To be honest, I don't know that I could answer his question. I don't know that I could state my mission statement or purpose statement for anyone.....most importantly the guy in the mirror.

In a separate conversation I was speaking with someone else about how the age 35 seems to be the new midlife crisis age. There was a degree of humor in that statement when I made it. The more I thought about it the more I had to admit its truthfulness. I remember when I was young people age 45-50 getting the new sports car, buying that “toy” they always wanted, going skydiving, taking that trip etc. During those processes I found they were asking some interesting questions. Why do I do what I do for work? Why shouldn't I enjoy this life more? Why shouldn't I treat myself to something nice? What is the meaning of all of this? They seemed to be searching for a “feel good” experience to justify the previous 45-50 years of living. Having arrived at that place they came to a crisis of self. For some having those experiences validated what they did. For others it made the question even more vibrant.

Today, and in my generation, I believe the mid life crisis looks a bit different. I have little interest in buying a sports car, skydiving or anything of the like. I would suggest that the “new” midlife crisis is a crisis of purpose. Questions I am asking myself in that vein include: What do I want to do with my life? What legacy do I want to leave? What gets me up in the morning? What is important to me? What moves me to action? What excites me? Does this sound familiar to any of you?

I am 35 and find myself at that crossroads in life. I am struggling to figure out what it is I want to do. I am struggling to figure out where I want to go. I am looking for my purpose in this life. I am seeking the “reason to get up” in the morning. I ask myself, "Is this enough?" "Can I do more?" I've had some cool experiences in my life. I have lived and traveled over much of this country. I have 2 wonderful children and a woman who stands beside me, championing me on. I have been very fortunate to make good money along the way. I have a "sandbox" full of friends who know me and are willing to tell me how it is. It's not for a lack of things/people/experiences that I ask those questions. It's completely out of a desire to be fulfilled.

The answer to those questions above for me are a resounding YES. I want to do more, know why I get up in the morning, know where I am going, understand my purpose, start pursuing my dreams etc. Answering those questions leads to yet another question.....So now what?

I read a great post by someone who I grew up with and someone I would consider a friend even though we don't communicate much or run in the same circles anymore. The question he answered was when do you start pursuing your dream? Click here for a link to the post by Jon Acuff. The simple truth of his writing is that we can start today.

I may not have all the answers/whys/hows/whats yet, but I am going to start pursuing my dreams, doing what gets me up in the morning, understanding my purpose.

How about you? Are you really doing what you feel fulfilled by? Are you happy with the person in the mirror and what they have become? Are you starting your dream today?