Get By

I’ve worked with my hands my entire life, and now I’m doing it again. As a Gen-X writer, I only wrote with pens and pencils when I wanted to. I have spent a large majority of my time pounding letters out into all sorts of constructs to convey all sorts of things . . . with my hands.

One example is this book on portfolio management, Survival of the Fittest for Investors. I wrote the jacket copy. It’s an interesting book because the advice on managing your money is true in the daily things we do to get by. What we mainly do is adapt. The book helps you create a portfolio that adapts to market conditions.

Since October, I started a huge adaptation by working with my hands as an apprentice carpenter for Cape Associates. Apprentice might by an overstatement. My nickname is “Dustpan.” The opportunity to learn a new skill from a group of highly talented carpenters is a blessing. And I’ve never been in better shape because I move around a lot of lumber. Plus, the practical skills I will develop are priceless. I look forward to building a chicken coop this spring. More on that later.

One reason I want to fix my own problems and have a fresh source of food is to take a step closer to self sustaining. As I see a third World War sparking in Iran, and the world economy leaning towards a train wreck, I feel secure knowing that I can adapt. Everything didn’t die out with the dinosaurs. Nature provides volumes of empirical evidence proving adaptability is a key component to survival. I think a lot of people are getting in touch with survival. The message is materialized in art (I dig this guy’s mini-house), social movements, and music. Here’s the song I’m digging right now, which is always playing on Octane.

Now, gotta get back to my first trade and finish another book jacket. A writer/carpenter is a label I never thought I’d wear, but here I am. Changing all the time. Getting by.

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~ by blogitorium on December 3, 2011.