Developing community and woodworking have a lot in common…

You start with a bunch of raw materials and an idea, trying to figure out what you have and what you can do.

You slowly work through the parts, setting aside pieces which won’t work right now and refining the remainder so they fit together in a semblance of something.

Trial and error. Trimming and fitting. Failures and successes. Blood, sweat, and tears.

Then you reach that point, that one magical point, where it all comes together and you realize you’ve created something special.

That something special – whether it be a finishing a butternut weather station for a gift, addressing a local issues, or getting a new business off the ground – is what it’s all about.

That special moment, despite all the work, headaches, and heartbreaks, is why I, and many others, do what we do.

There are a lot of similarities amongst the things we do as we travel through life. Part of the journey is to find them and learn from them along the way.

[Expanded and revised version from my earlier Facebook and Instagram posts. Be sure to watch the video below to see how a little finish transforms something ordinary into something extraordinary!]