Expectations
You see it on TV and in the movies, but its one of those things that doesnt happen to you. When it happened to me, it wasnt what I expected….
You see it on TV and in the movies, but its one of those things that doesnt happen to you. When it happened to me, it wasnt what I expected.
More accurately it WAS what I expected, just not what Id always hoped for. I got stuck in an elevator yesterday. Really. Got in, pushed the button, the car moved a few inches and suddenly went clunk, then wouldnt move.
In the fantasy world I call my life, I always envisioned the elevator scenario in one of two ways: Im stuck with an elderly millionaire who needs CPR, and although Im a woodworker and not a doctor, I perform the maneuver to his undying gratitude and he gifts me with many, many dollars. In the other scenario Im stuck with Christie Brinkley.
But this elevator contained five ordinary adults, one deodorant-challenged adult, a whining three-year-old, and lastly a gotta-be-the-life-of-the-party smart-mouth kid. Which I hate, of course, since thats my job. After 25 minutes a maintenance man pried open the door and we hopped out. Not the pleasant experience I always thought it would be, but things dont happen as you expect.
I never expected to like doing mortise-and-tenon joinery, either. Ive never made very good dovetails, and I always expected my M&T joints to be the same. I had done a few over the years, but only grudgingly. Lately, though, Ive done quite a few for the book Im working on. Not only have they all turned out quite well, but Ive found that I enjoy making them. Im already thinking about doing some projects I avoided in the past simply because I didnt want to mess with mortises and tenons. In fact, Im now looking for projects specifically that feature it.
Not sure what the moral is here. Maybe that you shouldnt form unrealistic expectations, either good ones or bad ones. Or maybe that you should just take learning experiences as they come, and make the best of them. Either way, you win.
Still, Christie Brinkley would have been nice.
Till next time,
A.J.
A.J. Hamler is the former editor of Woodshop News and Woodcraft Magazine. He's currently a freelance woodworking writer/editor, which is another way of stating self-employed. When he's not writing or in the shop, he enjoys science fiction, gourmet cooking and Civil War reenacting, but not at the same time.
