My sons and I are learning to whittle. With careful hands and practiced movements we’re each shaving off slivers of basswood to turn our blocks into forms that hopefully look like mushrooms. The first slivers had barely hit our living room floor before a dozen wood creations were crafted in our minds.
“I want to carve a gnome for my mushroom,” my eldest states. “Or a sword.”
“I think my next block is going to be a dragon,” says my second born, not to be out done.
“I’ll work on two gnomes for your sisters after this,” I say, offering up my own dream like a log on the fire of our shared excitement for the art of whittling. It’s deeply satisfying to craft something beautiful out of an ordinary block of wood. Even with cut-resistant gloves, the hobby offers just enough sense of risk taking for my sons to feel like they’ve taken another next step on their journey to becoming adults.
Dreaming of completed carved creations, it turns out, is far easier than taking the time to craft a rectangle of basswood into something beautiful.
My sons only whittle for half an hour at a time, once or twice a week. During the first week, they begged to work longer and worked persistently every day. The mushroom prize was within their grasp. Fast-forward a month and their rectangles of wood still look more like basswood blocks than mushrooms. I warned them that whittling requires patience and commitment, but dreaming up new objects and giving up on the mushroom design sounds a lot easier to them.
In truth, it is easier.
It’s easier to dream up new project ideas than it is to put in the work to finish what we’ve started. It’s easier to buy a wooden mushroom than it is to slowly form one out of a lump of wood. It’s easier to put down the whittling knife and find another medium that doesn’t require so much patience.
It may be easier but that doesn’t make it better. I like the lesson in patience whittling is (hopefully) teaching my sons. It’s the same lesson I’m learning as I turn a rough draft of my book into a second draft. Then a third draft… In an age when artificial intelligence tempts writers to take the easy route and automate the process, lessons in patience may be lost. I firmly believe that writing, like whittling, should still be done bit by bit with human hands.
My sons are still whittling mushrooms. I’m still writing a book. We all find ourselves impatient, in part, because the act of creating isn’t as valued as the creation itself. It’s hard to say you’re whittling a mushroom when it still looks like a stick. It’s equally difficult to say you’re an author when you don’t have a book ready for publication. Even if their whittling knives can’t keep up with their dreams of beautiful carvings, I admire the patience and determination in my sons. As the Apostle Paul writes,
“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”
Galatians 6:9, NIV
They continue to work towards a goal, even if progress is slow and feels unsatisfying. I continue to write, even when weeks turn into months and each draft feels like only a tiny sliver closer to the finished creation.
Featured image by freepik
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Thank you for this article. I am currently in a similar boat, with working on a novel. It has been a 4 year project for me. Chipping away at the story when I find moments between family time and working. There have been times when I have lifted my hands and asked, “Is it worth continuing?” Your article has reminded that it is worth finishing. Thank you.
Hi Brandon, I’m so glad the article was helpful! I’ve been encouraged by so many other writers so I’m happy to pass it on.
My 14-year-old wants to whittle but my husband and dad are nervous about him hurting himself. I am also considering writing as a new career after I lost my job in November.
Any tips on beginning whittling?
Yes, the first few times made us nervous as well. I’m not an expert in whittling by any means, but I purchased cut resistant gloves for my children and I walked them through the motions with a butter knife before they felt comfortable whittling. There are also plenty of videos available with safety tips. Hope that helps and I pray for God’s guidance in your career considerations!