Skills, Our Bodies, & Connection
For the past few years I have been a full time student, fully swept into the academic rhythms of journals, assignments, deadlines, and online lectures. Dovetailed in between essays, discussion groups, and lectures has been the slow curl of wood shavings slipping from my blade, the pungent clouds of smoke from friction fires, roadside foraging, and so many more daily practices that help me lead an abundant life. These two facets of my life have beautifully juxtaposed each other, balancing out the mind, body, and heart of my being.
What wasn’t satisfied by the intellectual facet of my life was nursed by the passions that grew connection and calluses. With my last project submitted for the next little while, I have had some time to reflect on the power of choosing to slow down, develop real skills and connections, and use my body.
My thoughts on this concept are still developing, but finishing school as well as a few conversations with friends recently have brought this to the forefront of my mind. As with anything in our lives, why do we do what we do? How do the choices we make soften the edges of life’s many facets?
I am coming to realize, the choices I make have less to do with that specific decision and usually more to do with the principle behind them and the lifestyle I hope to foster. So then why do I choose to use handtools, practice friction fires, bike to my workshop, or anything else?
For me the deeply empowering skill of friction fire is not about the fire itself. Fires ignited by friction and those with lighters will cook your food just the same, warm your hands and spirits, and brighten your shelter. Yet what is different between the two fires is the relationship. The spinner of a friction fire ember has spent time with the skill, has come to know the materials on an intimate level. During the process they have come to know their body, how to optimize their structural mechanics and mental focus to spin fire from a carefully selected piece of wood. They have come to feel linked to the skill and materials in a way simply unachievable when flicking the flint on a lighter. The fire will forever mean something more to them, even when they choose to strike a match rather than spin a spindle.
In a similar way I intentionally work with handtools, tan my own leather, and bike to my workshop when I can. In terms of how it makes me feel, my 20 minute bike commute to my workshop is far better for me than a 5 minute drive. I feel the wind, come in contact with the weather whatever it may be, and begin to feel within myself my dependence on my body. My commute has changed from a means to a destination, to a means to a relationship, and I don’t always bike to be honest, but when I do I never regret it.
Choosing to slow down and use my body does not necessarily mean choosing to be inefficient either. In fact using my body forces me to be more efficient in many ways, within the constraints of my choices. I have intentionally removed the crutch or convenience of many conventional power tools, but just because I choose to use hand tools does not mean I do everything slowly. In fact a significant chunk of my woodwork is rather aggressive, large swings with the axe and woodchips the size of my hand whizzing across the workshop, inevitably finding their way into any open cup of tea. I could argue that in many instances the right handtool is more efficient, but requires skill and a relationship. The large amounts of excess material some folks spend hours patiently sanding away, are easily removed with a few swings of an axe. It’s old school and requires skills developed over time, but I like that. Those skills and relationships are valuable to me. So whether practicing earth living skills, making woodenware, or biking, I am grateful for the role these skills are playing in my life, the balance they create, and the awareness of body and space they harbor.
That's probably enough musings for today, in no way a complete expression of my thoughts on the concept as they are still coalescing. It feels good to identify this pattern in my life. Perhaps you have similar patterns, or completely different ones that ground you.
Stay wild folks-