Some say that birthdays come around more quickly the older you get. I don’t know that that is altogether true. I haven’t noticed any difference. What is different is not celebrating it the same way. I find myself being more grateful that so many celebrate it with me and feel humbled that you took the time to type out messages to encourage me to “keep on keepin’ on!“
I am content to continue making and for any of a dozen reasons. In times past I reached 20 people in a week who wanted hand tools and skills in their hands. Many were content with their earning capacity in realms non-manual but wanted real skill and ability that could translate into making beautiful things from wood. They liked their work but felt that making would enhance their lives. Today we reach hundreds of thousands in any given month. They’ve bought tools new and secondhand and read my two books on real woodworking AND they too have become what they only at one time dreamed of.
It kind of crept up on me without my really realising it. My work to make new woodworkers on every continent and in every country in the world became real through the internet. My shying away from the idea of making videos to teach didn’t start with me. I never wanted an internet presence because I didn’t believe I could teach that way. I was wrong. Others encouraged me and made it happen and not the least was my son Joseph as a key player and then others that climbed on board on the way. So this is to say thank you to those who work alongside me, my family and friends and then too those who went on to work elsewhere. And then equally important in adding meaning to my work there is you too! You out there who read my overly-long blog posts, my poetry, my social output via social media, etc. Here’s a great big Thank you!
