OT - Reflection / Cogitation / Age / Adventure / Woodworking
(this WILL get on topic - honest)
When I was in my early twenties I asked my friends who were in their fifties, sixties and seventies when they started thinking of themselves as ?adults?. To a person, the response was ?I haven?t - yet.? Then each added his or her own qualifications to the response. The consensus came down to ?I can be an adult when I HAVE to be an adult.? Adultness is contextual.
Now, approaching the middle of that age range, and having escaped ?gainful employment?, been outgrown of parenthood, and long since despoused, I understand what my elder friends meant. This is a nuanced thing. Not being an adult is not the same as being childish, but rather, ?child like? - the ability to see things as new and fascinating and interesting, with an attitude of ?I want to learn to do that!?. Like Adultness, Child Likeness also seems contextual.
So I began thinking about this Child Likeness thing. What distinguishes it from childishness? The word ?reflection? came to mind, followed by ?cogitation?. With more experience there?s awareness of more options and that leads to cogitation. Of the various ways to do something, which of the ones I know would work best here or should I look for another way? Think I?ll cogitate on that some.
Perhaps woodworking is so appealing because it is often a context which triggers Child Likeness.
Oh, look at the way this piece of wood plays with the light! It?d be PERFECT for a (insert - drawer front, box lid, cabinet door panel, magic wand handle ...). If I put this wood around it? That?d look NICE. I can just (rip, miter, dado, rabbet, plane, chisel, bead, chamfer, mortise / tenon, spline, peg, dovetail, carve, oil, shellac, stain, varnish) ...
The shop becomes Never Never Land, where time has no importance. Sawdust and curlies become Pixie Dust. Snipe, Tear Out and Blotchie are just some of the evil pirates lurking about, commanded by - dare I say his name? - Captain Kickback! (You thought I was going to say ?Bay Area Dave? didn?t you?) Can OOPS be laying in wait behind this ON switch?
With a #7 and marking gauge in hand, chisel, with plastic end cap in place, stuck in my belt the adventure begins!
But first, I think I?ll do some cogitating.
Ring any bells or are you all ?Dults?
charlie b fun stuff this woodworking thing