Decisions!

Phew, just made it this month!  Warning: this month’s blog is about NOT carving.  Shock, horror!  Has Nigel lost his marbles?  Well, maybe.
 
Life isn’t always quiet and ordered, and this last month has been a particularly busy one for a variety of reasons – though I’d stress for all the right ones.  So, no, I haven’t caught one of the many variants of COVID (and I hope you haven’t either as it can be a really nasty illness) and I haven’t abandoned my workshop.  I just haven’t had time to do as much carving as I’d like to, and there hasn’t been much worth capturing in pictures or words to pass on to you.  Life happens!
 
So, do I become frustrated when not carving?  Yes, a little.  And how do I manage that?
 
I figure a happy and meaningful life is about making the right decisions.  So, below is a list of how I weigh the various factors in my life, starting with the most important people or activities and going to the less important further down:

• personal and family health/relationships (keep your family happy)
• career (you need to pay the bills)
• sport/gardening/repairing the house/studies/friends (whatever is very important to you)
• hobbies/volunteer work/attending concerts and parties/other activities (the fun stuff)

 
Life is about priorities. You have to decide what your own are, but at different times in your life some activities will rise in importance and fall again later.  To quote the old proverb, “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy”, so hopefully you can spread your time over several activities each day?
 
But for the last few weeks I’ve rarely been relaxing in the workshop, sadly.  Even when not there I often think about the pieces I’m carving, and about the pieces I’m going to carve.  Sometimes I dream about them.  I have a book stuffed with ideas on loose pieces of paper scrawled during my travels or occasionally on the pages themselves.  Most will not see the light of day, but others are just awaiting that special piece of stone or opportunity.  So all is not lost and I hope to have something to show you next month.
 
Until then, stay calm and healthy, and I wish you happy carving!