Might as well ...

A few years ago, I wrote a blogpost entitled "Tripod" about how a friend believed that the ability to have fun was like a three legged stool.  In order to make the stool stand (have fun) you needed to have creativity, spontaneity, and a positive cash flow.

This last weekend, I met a group of gentlemen who taught me the next verse: "Might as well ..."

Last Friday through Sunday, I had the good fortune to attend a weekend of training around the woodworking skills.  Weekend with Wood was sponsored by Wood magazine and the venue was at Meredith Corporation. I'm not sure of the final numbers, but it seemed as though there were about 500 people in attendance  We had the opportunity to enroll in six different classes with instructors and professionals brought in to help us learn or hone our skills.

Tommy Mac, the host of Rough Cut Woodworking on PBS, spoke after Saturday night's dinner.  The food and presentation were all great, but the group of men I ended up sitting with made the evening so much more fun.  This "gang" of guys were from Michigan and it was obvious that they have known each other for a lifetime.  In the group there is a doctor, and artist, a contractor, and an engineer.  One of the group had won, as a door prize, a week at the Marc Adams School of Woodworking, probably a $750 value without travel. While they were sitting at dinner, these men decided that it was unacceptable for one to go to this class without the others.  It made perfect sense. I'd already discovered that the four of them came to the event together in a motor home that one of them owned.

Then came the problem.  One of the four announced there was no way he could afford the piece of equipment that he had purchased at the event AND go to the woodworking school.  Just for clarity, what he had purchased was a Wood-Mizer - a portable gas powered band saw. It allows someone to turn logs into lumber and they probably costs in excess of $20,000.

The response from the group?  "Might as well ..."

Now, this is where I had to jump in and ask questions.  It was obvious that they all knew exactly what had just been said, but as an outsider, I was baffled.  The group explained to me that if ever, as a group, there was a real question as to if they should do something, it always came down to this phrase.  In their own shorthand they were saying that life is too short to not do the things that bring you joy and happiness.

It is so interesting that I had landed with this group, because in my own way, that's why I was at the event. When I had first seen advertising for the weekend, I'd thought how great the weekend would be. But because I always have trouble with the "cash flow" part of the tripod, I'd decided that I would not do it. Then, many different things happened and people pushed me to go. I also had a little cash come in that wasn't completely spoken for. Without even realizing it, I had landed at "Might as well ..." and ended up at the event to meet the guys who were able to explain it all to me.  Is it not just amazing the way the universe works sometimes?

Okay, just a little more about the weekend and the overall serendipity of it all.  First, I am still nowhere close to attempting to build chairs.  They are just too tough and have way too many angles to them.  Additionally, you have to come up with a way to scoop out the seat to make them really comfortable.  Beyond that, however, I learned all sorts of new tablesaw and bandsaw techniques. I even came to believe that I should look at a SawStop brand saw somewhere along the line.  And with all of the giveaways that Meredith Corporation had for us, at the end of the day I had received more than I paid out for the event.  Wow, just wow.

So, for any of you who are woodworkers, you need to go back and find out information about this year's event and then plan to be there next year.  You will not regret it.