(More) lessons from the Master (Carpenter, that is)

Well, the Master Carpenter I talked about in a previous editorial (December 2009) is still at work. It’s not a big, big job, it’s just that I’ve been away, some materials took a long time to arrive and it is winter here. I have been working with him long enough now that some of the lessons I am learning are starting to “integrate”.

You know how that goes: at first you are focussed on using new knowledge or skills in a concentrated manner in a specific situation and then, as you become more comfortable with it, you begin to integrate this new learning with your old knowledge, skills or way of being. For me, and probably for many of you, as I learn new things (whatever they are), I sometimes wonder about how that fits with how I think about Child and Youth Care: are there similarities, differences, does it connect in some manner? That’s the stage I am at with some of my “lessons from the Master”. So, here are a few of my new “learnings”.

Rough it in quick, worry about the polishing details later. We are building an addition to a room and because it is winter, there is a good chance the cold is going to enter the house, so Nick works fast to set the rough foundation in place, frame in the wall, patch it quick, so that we don’t loose heat and get to exposed to the pain of winter. It is rough unsophisticated work but it keeps us from too much exposure to the elements. First he wants us to be protected and comfortable then we will worry about the finer details of how it looks to anyone else. But even as he does this, we can both see the outline of where we are going. This leads me to lesson number two for today.

Under the finest exterior there is often a rough foundation. When we are working on the roughing-it-in stage and need to make a change, Nick hammers and chops with a ferocity, not caring what it looks like, rather caring that it is strong and solid and creates the foundational context for what is to come next. This leads me to think about how whether an exterior is rough or polished, underneath it is often the same. I also think about all those programmes I have visited where you hear the fine polished presentation about “what we do” and when you really get inside the programme, there is no match between the polished presentation and what really is going on. So, no matter what’s on the outside, of a person or a programme, it might be a good idea to have a little peek inside before making any judgements.

If the push or pull is too great, some fuse is going to blow. So, we are cutting wood on the table saw. Nick is at one side pushing the wood through and I am at the other pulling out the ripped board. The fuse for the plug we are using keeps blowing and I keep having to go in the house to flip the breaker so we can continue. After a while I ask him what’s going on. He says that either we are not pushing and pulling equally or we are trying to work too fast (hey, it was cold outside). So, he suggests that he will guide the speed and I will pull at his rate and support the outcome. We do that. The fuse stops blowing and, working a little smoother and a little slower, we get finished sooner. I don’t have to translate this one, do I?

Who knows what lessons are in store for the future?

Thom