If you want big hard wood you have to do something to get it, it doesn't come for nothing, one must actively do something, think something, before one can rise to the occasion.
I grew up in a small rural town within the vast continent of Australia - proudly Australian born and raised - and feel blessed to have had the upbringing I did. My parents instilled values like integrity, honesty, honour, manners, courtesy and hard work in me. I had, from a very young age, an ethos that leaned towards reward for effort and that nothing came for free; something had to be exchanged for the things I received be it knowledge, money, creature comforts, health, respect and success; no matter the thing, it wouldn't simply fall down from the sky.
Armed with that understanding I moved into my life as a kid working towards my future. I read books, explored the world around me, failed and succeeded in equal measure, delved into my own thoughts, emotions and abilities and built the foundations of what would ultimately be the platform upon which my life is now constructed.
Part of that was working around the house from a young age; I'd help my parents with the vegetable gardening (we grew most of our own), fed and tended the chickens and other animals, worked in the fruit and nut tree orchard and in general around the property, cleaned the house, help do and peg out the washing, did the cooking and cleaning up after dinner and other things as well including my job of getting wood.
When I mean get wood, I mean firewood, I had to cut wood, which we would use in the fireplaces. That was part of the reward for effort ethos that was instilled in me from a young age...if wood was not cut there was no heat in the house and no heat meant...well, clearly it meant it would be cold.
I recall swinging a lot of axes from a young age but before that I was only permitted to use a small tree saw; prior to my tree saw duties I was on carrying detail and I'd go back and forth with a single chunk of wood or multiple depending on the weight from about the age of four or so. Eventually I was taught how to use a chainsaw, around nine years old, and I'd work for hours cutting piles of wood for the fire, stacking it to season for the next year and hauling wood inside each morning and night for the fire. It was hard work for a little fellow like me but I wasn't little for long and became a pretty strong lad due to that hard work. It didn't just develop muscles though, it developed a solid work ethic.
I'd complain now and then about the hard work I had to do while the other kids were playing, but as I got older I began to understand that it was not just about cutting wood to keep warm, tending the garden to grow food to eat...it was about building valuable skills that later in life helped me take on increasingly difficult tasks and responsibilities and have the ability to excel at them or fail, regroup and try again. It taught me ownership, responsibility and discipline, persistence and how to work hard and those were lessons that have stayed with me for life...and helped me have a successful, fulfilling and enjoyable one.
Doing hard things, working through difficulties, physical, emotional or mental hardships, isn't often pleasant and sometimes doesn't work out the way we'd like but with the right thoughts and attitudes one can push forward and find good outcomes. I was fortunate to have parents who gave me a solid grounding and allowed me to grow into my natural personality and ability applying valuable lessons along the way and I'm happy I persevered and became the man I am today...the legacy my parents and other influential role-models have left behind them.
What aspects of your own childhood have stuck with you and helped to shape the adult you have become? Do you feel grateful for hardships in your life and how they have impacted on you or do you feel they have hindered you? Feel free to comment.
Design and create your ideal life, tomorrow isn't promised - galenkp
[Original and AI free]
Image(s) in this post are my own
All credit goes to God and my parents for anything good I do. All the blame rests on me for anywhere I fall short. I'm grateful for the hardships. They taught me valuable lessons, such as perseverance, humility to ask for help, generosity, compassion and discipline. I was not an easy child to raise.
The most impactful memory I have was when I was in 2nd grade. It was during recess, and three kids thought it would be fun to knock me down, roll me down a 15 foot grass hilly at about a 40 degree angle, right over a storm drain grate. I asked them to stop twice. A teacher's aide saw what was happening but did nothing. I marched up the hill and slugged the ringleader in the nose and gave him a 30 minute nose bleed. The group disbanded. I could've gone after the others but was content to simply stop what they were doing to me.
I learned to not take threats idly, not suffer abuse and injury, and to act on the assumption the rest of the world will watch you or someone else's demise and do nothing. So, be generous, kind, and patient. When presented with threats, violence, etc., "flip the switch" so to speak, and act decisively, act quickly, don't advertise your plans, strike with fury and determination, but maintain a cool enough head to stop yourself from becoming what you're trying to stop, so you can turn that "switch" back off at will.
!BBH
Interestingly for me, while reading your comment, I was reminded of my own youth all those years of being racially vilified and victimised (brutalised really) and how I'm glad it happened because it built character, resilience, strength, an understanding of how humans can be garbage, and how to deal with that garbage amongst many other things. It wasn't pleasant at the time but I am better for it. (I also like your last line...one must know when and how to take action, and when not to.)
Thanks for your open and forthright comment in response to my post, I appreciate it. (All your comments to me have been worthy of notice really.)
I'm sorry you went through that as a kid. No kid should have to endure that, but I'm glad you used it to refine and build your character. Many fall into the victim mentality instead (You can't blame them), so when someone "goes through the fire" and comes out the other side stronger and better for it, it also gives hope to those going through it themselves.
I'm glad you enjoyed the comment. I enjoy your posts. It's clear you put time and effort into them and want the interaction instead of just an upvote like many other posts here, and I hoped the level of effort and thought I put into it at least somewhat reflected the time you took to write your post. 🙂
!BBH
Things happen and we can't change that they did so I think it's best to turn them to our advantage in whatever way possible.
Thanks for your comments about my posts, I appreciate that.
I am surprised you had this kind of childhood. I don't know what I thought your life was like but, since I knew very few children my age who had to work like this, I suppose I thought you were more like me. I was one of those kids out playing, with the other kids who were out playing. I don't remember doing very many chores, and those I did do were easily dispatched, and only now and then.
I sewed when I wasn't out playing. My mother taught me very well there, and I sewed a lot of my own clothing. That's one of the female's counterparts to the male's cutting of wood, a lot less physically grueling than splitting wood (try as I might, I never managed one single split, not one). It took a lot of planning though, thought, foresight, fine motor skills. I loved to sew. I haven't done it in at least 40 years. I gotta get my sewing machine fixed. It's a lovely 100 or more year old Singer.
I'm not surprised by the innuendo in your first sentence, the double meaning. You are very good at that!!! You write very well, too. I enjoyed both reading and responding to this post.
It amuses me to read about people's surprise about my upbringing and in truth it happens in real life also;' people see what they see and don't tend to scratch the surface, or I don't let them.
Don't get me wrong, I played too, but I had things to do first, responsibilities , and I took them (and take them now) seriously. I'm happy and content with that upbringing and like what it made me.
Sewing was not something I knew how to do (not with a machine) but I could mend a holey sock and sew buttons on by age ten, could iron clothes and all...I am grateful for having parents who thought those things were important and those things, the lessons, were pivotal to my progression through life.
Thank you for complimenting this piece of writing; you know, I put so much into my writing, a lot of the real me, but most never see it...some do though. I like to make people think, as with this post, and that means they sometimes read between the lines and words at what I say without saying it and I really enjoy adding that element. I also like hearing people say they enjoyed responding, so thank you.
I got so excited by the title of this post that I could not wait to show you some of my...
Big Hard Wood!
I too (parallel universe again) grew up around hard wood. Soft does not burn as clean and clogs the chimney.
To this day I still sport wood 🪵🪓
I prefer to and some times can't help but sport it early in the morning.
Here are a few photos of Me and My wood.
NSFWSpoiler alert. These are safe for work.
no axes will be swung here @ The Pookyville Cat Ranch and Tree Farm...EVER.!!
I'd heard your wood was hard, that you managed to get hard wood when you needed or wanted it and here's pictorial proof!
My parents were pretty strict when I was growing up, but I feel like that help me shape the person I am today. If they had been more lax I question where my moral compass may have ended up. I think we are seeing a lot of that in society. People trying to be the cool parent because theirs were so strict. Push that behaviour out a couple of generations and suddenly you are dealing with chaos.
Yeah, mine were too I guess, but like you I think it was ok, I grew up knowing what's up...unlike many youth today.
I totally agree...and yeah, chaos looms.
The economic hardship, and often not having enough to eat and the effort that was made in my family left a deep mark on me. I learned the values of work, perseverance, honesty, justice and truth. That forged what I am today.
There were thousands of obstacles, but little by little they were overcome, although there were many years of sacrifice and effort. A lot of learning came from those childhood moments, a lot.
I like obstacles, they challenge me, make me think, find solutions and work hard to overcome...and that's how I move forward to better results. I think you're probably the same.
Obstacles always help us because they are challenges to learn, they make us break our heads thinking...if I am the same and I think the same about it.
What a blessing to understand and be thankful for the formation of the home.
Sometimes we forget where we come from and we don't appreciate the good or bad of our past.
You learn a lot from the bad, because they are shocking experiences, but they teach.
The good makes you fragile, because when you have a setback, you haven't developed enough emotional intelligence to accept it, be grateful for it and move on.
Excellent writing.
It was worth every word.
You got me thinking.
Que bendición entender y agradecer la formación del hogar.
A veces olvidamos de donde venimos y no agradecemos lo bueno o malo de nuestro pasado.
De lo malo se aprende mucho, porque son experiencias que impactan, pero enseñan.
Lo bueno te hace frágil, porque al tener un revés, no has desarrollado la suficiente inteligencia emocional para aceptarlo, agradecerlo y continuar.
Excelente escrito.
Ha valido la pena cada palabra.
Me pusiste a reflexionar.
I think it's really important to remember where we have come from, the steps we took and paths we've walked as it's all of those combined that culminate in who we are at the present moment and which help us determine how best to push forward into the future.
Thanks for your comment, I appreciate it.
Ok. I've edited my previous comment
My mother always made sure that we studied, my sisters and I, that we had a degree and that we were someone in life, able to achieve things by our own means, without depending on anyone, I will always be grateful to her, she is my strength, my best friend and companion, I love my parents, both in their own way, they taught me many things, they are our best example to follow, greetings, my friend.
I think a person can be someone in life without a degree (I don't have one - I never even completed high school) although I know what you're getting at; work ethic. I'm not a parent so don't know how it's done, although I know enough to know when it's done right and when it's done wrong. Seems your upbringing was a product of the former of the two.
Hi Galen, on today's topic, I have not only been influenced by my parents. My grandparents were also present in my education, a great example of self-improvement. They lived through the civil war, were repressed at the end of the war and have been, for me, an example of self-improvement and dignity. From my mother I learned discipline and from my father I learned to enjoy life. When my father died he did not leave a great inheritance, he squandered much of the family's patrimony. But I thank him for teaching me that working is not everything in life. In my life journey, sometimes I am more like my grandparents, sometimes more like my mother and sometimes more like my father. I think it's a good mix, as long as the right proportions of each element are maintained. To be only like my father would be ruinous. Best regards
I think there's many good sources of influence and grandparents can be such valuable teachers; they often deliver lessons in different ways than parents and I think that can help deepen the lessons, make them more effective. My grandparents on my mum's side lived with us and I was fortunate to have many such lessons from two people who had lived a completely different life to that of my parents...So I relate to your comment.
Hi Galen, little to add, by schedule I hope you have a nice evening. Regards
Growing up, my parents were very strict with our grades. We were constantly honor students, and we worked hard for it. It translated to our work ethic as well. While it helped me get promoted faster, I think it burned me out quickly. It can be both a blessing and a curse.
It makes sense for parents to instill a solid work ethic in their kids as lessons like that are more readily learned at a young age; it seems you turned out ok so your parents clearly did something right.
I firmly believe that everything happens for a reason when we learn the value of work and things at an early age we begin to value things more and we become stronger today children and young people today are very weak both physically and emotionally.
I agree, the youth of today are very weak and I think it's going to cause massive problems moving forward into the future; I'll be dead, but those who are around will get to experience a world in sharp decline due to the mistakes of the present.
I lived majorly with my Grandma in a rural area in Africa, I went to live with her when I was seven years. Prior to that time, I was with my parents in the city and didn't do much hardwork but going with Grandma was one of the best decisions of my life. At age eight, I could do so many things like uprooting cassava from the farm and going through the whole process of frying 'garri'(a staple) from it, I could set traps for little animals and roast their meat to prepare soups, I could pound 'fufu' in a mortar, I could fetch firewood from the farm. Grandma taught me hardwork and rewards as well, patience and resilience, these virtues instilled in me has been a source of strength for me in very tough and trying situations.
Fufu pounding? That's not something I'm familiar with but it sounds like a good skill.
It's interesting to hear you say that you learned some hard lessons, understood how hard work can pay dividends, and that speaks highly of the upbringing you grandma gave you.
Fufu is a staple food eaten in most homes in Africa and it is boiled cassava tubers which is pounded in a mortar, until it turns gummy and soft and evenly textured.
It is energy demanding just like wood cutting. 😊
Ah ok, fufu.. it all makes sense now. ✅
Strictness and hardship is good if it can shape you to face difficult situations in life but excess of it in your childhood or adult life can lead to some mental instabilities. I have seen such examples in life suffering from hardships in their life ending up suicide or became mental.
I am grown up in a strict environment but luckily it turned out to be good for me saving me from bad companies and many more like that.
People have all sorts of experiences I guess, some are positive and some negative...I think it's up to the individual to turn them into what they want them to be.
A child has to learn a lot from his parents and surely you too have learned a lot from yours, but when a person comes into real life, there are many such things which he himself learns a lot.
I think you like to share your knowledge a lot and often there are very natural things in your photos which I like very much. Australia is a good country and I wish to visit this country once.
Of a person doesn't learn throughout life I don't feel they will have a very good one, so I make a point of exploring, discovering and learning as I go.
Hopefully you make it to Australia for a visit someday.
May be one day, I visit Australia!