Although the shed is not done, yet, much of it is, including the handcrafted doors. He told me the process of building those doors and they were an ordeal. He used left over wood from a construction project the previous year, mapped out where he wanted them to go, cut them to appropriate lengths, and then proceeded to carve slots in the wood to ensure they all fit together like a jigsaw puzzle. In the end all he had to use was a little wood glue to keep it all in place. Needless to say, I was impressed. I tried building a bookshelf a few years ago from left over wood, used many more nails and...lets just say it didn't hold very many books. Building a shed, unless I buy it from Ikea and argue with my wife every second of its construction, is something that I could never do. I know nothing about tools (not to mention that I'm deathly afraid of cutting off each of my limbs with a power tool), and even less about carpentry. It's something I have always wanted to learn, but never had anyone to teach me. The same is true for car repair. B.J. told me that when he started he knew nothing about construction and tools either. Although he built 90% of his house, which is beautiful, with his own hands, there was a lot he didn't know. So, you know what he did? He read a book (gasp) on carpentry, looked up what he needed to know, and asked for help when he needed it. He said with each construction project he had the end product in the back of his mind, but the different steps needed to get there in the forefront of his mind to make the project not seem impossible. Listening to him say all of this about construction made me realize that I do the same thing when writing a book. In order to not go crazy I break down the large idea into individual chapters and themes. I keep working on these chapters, sometimes out of order, until they all fit together like the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. When pieces don't fit I sand them down, or start over with a new story the way he starts over with a new piece of wood. What I'm trying to say is, not everyone writes books, but everyone has something creative they love that relaxes them. For B.J. it's construction and yoga. For me it's writing books and running. And if it's something that you want to try, but aren't sure how to start, pick up a book or ask for help. Have some fun and enjoy the adventure.
Oh yeah, and after he showed me the shed we cut down a tree. Pictures below.
