Do something unexpected

I made a spoon

This past weekend, I carved a spoon. Along with nine other novices, we each turned a rectangle of wood into a curved utensil, with a lot of help—a LOT—from our fabulous teacher.

It was one of the most surprising and satisfying things I’ve done. Surprisingly satisfying.

From us knowing nothing—NOTHING—he laid out his tools, handed out pieces of wood, and asked us to sketch a spoon. (Quite a few of us got into a bit more detail than, let’s just say, made it to the final cut; there was a lot more creativity before we realized how much work was involved!)

We scooped out the bowl of the spoon with special tools. Perhaps most terrifyingly, we hacked at the wood with large, sharp, kukhuri knives, to get the largest pieces off the sides. Then we whittled. Lots of whittling away, blisters on the palm, perhaps I may have bashed my finger.

It was so much work, and so immensely satisfying. The joy of learning something new, a skill that you are quite sure is out of your reach, and then with a bit of help and a lot of effort, you are sanding and oiling and bringing home an object of beauty.