I had a conversation with a friend yesterday who lost his construction business and is now pounding nails. He says he has never been happier in his life... He says that despite the trauma of losing nearly everything the change has been very good. I can only wish that those who are still facing such losses find the grace and peace that my friend has discovered. We all know that our values are the true source of our pleasure and contentment, not the money we make, or the things we possess but what we are empowered to do for each other. However, those lessons are often not learned without some sense of pain or loss.
In the news, it seems the rapid decline in the economy has slowed and things are appearing more hopeful to some. I am making small boxes which I will add to my inventory for fall sales, and today I meet with two customers about possible commissions. Those commissions in an uncertain economic time are very welcome indeed.
I have been working to finish the first chapter and outline of my Wisdom of the Hands book so I can find a publisher. If the economy were better, i would be working on another how-to book, delaying my work on this daunting task. The collapse of the economy creates an interest in a reexamination of values and willingness to explore the contributions of our the human hands, so perhaps the time is right.
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I believe times like this are opportunities in disguise. I work in the construction field and while still fortunate to have work, am still underemployed. I have made the decision to use the days where I don't have work to further my woodworking and woodturning. In many ways the slower pace of the current work environment is a welcome relief, a time to reflect and to pursue a path that offers more fulfillment.
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Joe
In the vein that Keith started, above, I know that a lot of peopple are very negatively affected by the economic downturn. Certainly my commissions dried up. But. Like Keith, I used the "free time" in the shop to make things for our first child, due in August. We are still getting by, but I have been able to spend more time focused on my family, which I can only think is a good thing.
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