The story:
Between birds and tools. The magic of woodworking and the love of nature
In the afternoon I was walking to the house after shopping. Usually, when I return home, I get distracted a lot by watching the macaws, the sparrowhawks and the herons, which always stand in the trees of the Quinta de Villa Zoila. These birds brighten up my day every time I go shopping, and I really feel very privileged to be able to be near them, in a natural environment, being in the very capital of the country.
—Hello, Rodrigo. How do you do? —Victor greeted me, when I got to the lift.
—All right, brother, coming home from some shopping. How's the family doing?—I replied to him
—Very well, casting pod as usual. Come on, Rodrigo. You, you do wood work and repairs, right? —He asked me, with curiosity.
—Yes, I do several wood works and also some cabinetmaking tasks, but it depends on what is going to be done, since some tools were stolen, so I am a little limited, to perform certain jobs. —I answered him.
—I have a serious problem with the kitchen of the house, and I also need to repair the wooden chairs in the dining room, which are very loose and some are almost disassembled. If you feel up to it, stop by the house and let's square up. — Victor told me.
—With pleasure, I take the groceries and if you're going to be at the house, I'll be by in a little while. —I answered him.
—Okay, I'll wait for you. —Victor said when saying goodbye.
I went to my house to drop off the purchases I had made, and after arranging the purchases, I went to the place where I keep the tools, and looked for the subway, an annotation table, some sheets, and after having that at hand, I went down to Victor's house.
When I arrived at the house and reviewed what I wanted to do, I felt very comfortable with the type of work, as I had all the tools I needed, to get the job done. But the work of the kitchen, was a little complicated, since the entire wooden and formic floor of the kitchen, had rotted in the dishwasher space, due to a constant leak of water.
In addition, a good part of the wood, of the side panel, was bulged by water, so it had to be removed, and there was also a water can, which I had not seen that repaired the leak that needed to be fixed.
When I showed Victor and his wife the damage that had been done to the other panels of the kitchen, the concern was reflected on their faces, and even more when they saw that a beam that seemed to be made of wood, which served as a support for the kitchen had come off.
At that moment, I took out the support beam, and it was made of a material called MDF, which I don't like to work with, because it is too flimsy and gets damaged very badly if it comes into contact with water.
After doing the review of what needed to be done. When I started talking to Victor and his wife to give them the diagnosis, they confessed to me, that before calling me, they had called a professional carpenter, and the carpenter, had recommended them to make a new kitchen.
When they asked me what I thought, I told them that if it is true that I was not a professional carpenter, but a professional, who had woodworking and repairs as a hobby, I thought very differently, and I assured them that I could fix their kitchen, without problems and putting it to the test, but that I would not do it with MDF, but with wood.
Finally, they gave me the go-ahead, and at that moment, I asked them for the money to make the purchase of the material. After buying everything I needed, I dedicated myself to removing the entire floor of the built-in kitchen, and then, I did it again with pine wood. In addition, the boards with which I made the floor, I worked them, polished them and placed them, sealant and varnish, which left them very beautiful and pleasing to the eye.
Then I arranged the kitchen doors that were bad, and finally, I arranged the dining room chairs. The work was excellent, Victor and his wife were very happy, so much so, that after finishing the work of their kitchen, they asked me for other arrangements and ended up recommending me to other people.
And if it is true that for me that job meant an extra income of money, it is also true that there is nothing that gives me more joy, and that makes me feel more satisfied, than doing manual work that will last for years and that is constantly used, and that people are happy with a job that I do.
That makes me very happy and gives me a lot of satisfaction, since doing a craft that allows me to repair, create and fix different things, ends up joining my profession, which, although I no longer practice it at work, also allows me to be a creator of various contents, which makes me feel, very joyful and complete, and uniting is my family, my partner, my friends and my spirituality, they give a great fullness and joy to my life.
Thanks for reading me.
Para leer en Español
Creative Nonfiction: Entre aves y herramientas. La magia de la carpintería y el amor por la naturaleza.
La historia:
En la tarde venía caminando hacia la casa después de realizar las compras. Normalmente, cuando regreso a casa, me distraigo mucho viendo a las guacamayas, los gavilanes y las garzas, que siempre se paran en los árboles de la Quinta de Villa Zoila. A mí esas aves me alegran el día cada vez que salgo de compras, y de verdad me siento muy privilegiado, de poder estar cerca de ellas, en un ambiente natural, estando en la plena capital del país.
—Hola, Rodrigo. ¿Cómo estás? — Me saludó Víctor, al llegar al ascensor.
—Muy bien, hermano, llegando de hacer unas compras. ¿Cómo está la familia?—
—Muy bien, echando vaina como siempre. Épale, Rodrigo. ¿Tú, haces trabajo y reparaciones en madera, cierto? —Me preguntó, con curiosidad.
—Sí, hago varios trabajos en madera y también algunas tareas de ebanistería, pero depende de lo que se vaya a hacer, ya que me robaron unas herramientas, así que ando un poco limitado, para realizar ciertos trabajos. —le contesté.
—Tengo un problema grave con la cocina de la casa, y además necesito reparar las sillas de madera del comedor, que están muy flojas y unas están casi desarmadas. Si te animas pasas por la casa y cuadramos. —me comentó Víctor.
—Con gusto, yo llevo las compras y si vas a estar en la casa, paso en un rato. —le contesté.
—Vale, te espero. —dijo Víctor al despedirse.
Yo fui a mi casa a dejar las compras que había realizado, y después de acomodar las compras, me dirigí al lugar donde guardo las herramientas, y busque el metro, una tabla de anotaciones, unas hojas, y después de tener eso a la mano, bajé a la casa de Víctor.
Cuando llegue a la casa y revise lo que quería realizar, me sentí muy cómodo con el tipo de trabajo, ya que tenía todas las herramientas que necesitaba, para realizar el trabajo. Pero el trabajo de la cocina, era un poco complicado, ya que todo el piso de madera y fórmica de la cocina, se había podrido en el espacio del lavaplatos, debido a una fuga constante de agua.
Además, buena parte de la madera, del panel lateral, estaba abombada por el agua, así que había que quitarla, y también había un bote de agua, que no había visto que le reparó la filtración que debía ser arreglado.
Cuando le mostré a Víctor y a su esposa, el daño que se había producido a los otros paneles de la cocina, la preocupación se reflejó en sus rostros, y más cuando vieron, que una viga que parecía de madera, que servía de soporte para la cocina se había despegado.
En ese momento, saque la viga de soporte, y la misma era de un material llamado MDF, con el cual a mí no me gusta trabajar, debido a que es demasiado endeble y se daña muy parido si tiene contacto con al agua.
Después de hacer la revisión de lo que había que hacer. Cuando comencé a hablar con Víctor y con su esposa para darles el diagnóstico, ellos me confesaron, que antes de llamarme a mí, habían llamado a un carpintero profesional, y el carpintero, les había recomendado hacer una cocina nueva.
Cuando me preguntaron que opinaba yo, les comenté, que si es cierto que yo no era un carpintero profesional, sino un profesional, que tenía como hobby el trabajo con madera y las reparaciones, yo pensaba muy diferente, y les aseguré que podía arreglarles su cocina, sin problemas y poniéndola a toda prueba, pero que no lo haría con MDF, sino con madera.
Finalmente, ellos me dieron el visto bueno, y en ese momento, les pedí el dinero para realizar la compra del material. Después de comprar todo lo que necesitaba, me dediqué a eliminar todo el piso de la cocina empotrada, y luego, lo hice de nuevo con madera de pino. Además, las tablas con las que hice el piso, las trabajé, las pulí y les coloqué, sellador y barniz, lo que las dejó muy bonitas y agradables a la vista.
Después acomodé las puertas de la cocina que estaban malas, y finalmente, acomodé las sillas del comedor. El trabajo quedo excelente, Víctor y su esposa quedaron muy contentos, tanto, que después de terminar el trabajo de su cocina, me pidieron otros arreglos y terminaron recomendándome a otras personas.
Y si es cierto que para mí ese trabajo significó una entrada extra de dinero, también es cierto, que no hay nada que me dé más alegría, y que me haga sentir más satisfecho, que el realizar un trabajo manual que vaya a durar años y que se use constantemente, y que la gente quede feliz con un trabajo que yo realice.
Eso me alegra mucho y me da mucha satisfacción, ya que el realizar un oficio artesanal que me permite reparar, crear y arreglar diferentes cosas, termina uniéndose a mi profesión, que aunque ya no la ejerzo a nivel laboral, me permite también, ser creador de contenidos diversos, lo que me hace sentir, muy alegre y completo, y uniendo eso a mi familia, mi compañera, mis amistades y mi espiritualidad, le dan una gran plenitud y alegría a mi vida.
Gracias por leerme.
I understand you perfectly, my friend! I had an uncle who was a carpenter and every time he saw his finished work, his joy was reflected. Building something with our hands makes us passionate, but it also makes us proud. Congratulations. Regards
There are hobbies that make us feel very good, even though it is not a main income-generating activity, we love to do it not only for the material things but for the pleasure and satisfaction. That's what happens to you with carpentry: you enjoy doing the work more for personal well-being.
Thanks for sharing your experience with us.
Excellent day.
Hi @rinconpoetico7, thank you very much for the comment.
I am glad that you liked the post.
Just now a neighbor asked me to make a door for him, hahahaha.
Happy evening.
The joy that comes from seeing your work in its beauty. It is so satisfying.
And the did not even have to do a new kitchen.
Hi #zerah, thanks a lot for the comment and the support.
Yes, I didn't need to make the kitchen, it could be accommodated and it can even be remodeled later, so costs are saved.
That's why it's good to always do those works in wood and not in MDF or plywood.
Happy evening.
Hi #theinkwell, thank you very much for the comment and the support.
Happy evening.