“We have forgotten the use of axes and saws, forgotten the joy of doing physical work. How few today know the feel of an axe as it bites into a log, the solid feel of it going into resin, the clean break of a chunk splitting in the cold. How many know how to saw – that one must not ride the saw on its return, only pull. These things have been forgotten along with walking, paddling and carrying loads. I discovered once again the satisfaction of laying in a supply of wood beyond my immediate needs, and a joy that came.
I swung the axe again and cut into the raw resin of a root. The grain was fine and golden yellow and, because my axe was sharp, its surface gleamed. There was embodiment of all that was elemental and afforded me, a man of the space age, a tie with the past. That root which once anchored a pine against the gales, held me to the earth.”
-Sigurd Olson, Runes of the North
“…the satisfaction of laying in a supply of wood beyond my immediate needs, and a joy that came.”
A greater sense of security than can be attained by fences and surveillance…
To think that Sigurd Olson had this observation so long ago is sobering.
It certainly is!
Nice photo to go with the excerpt.
There’s something about cutting wood and then laying a good fire that brings us to that feeling of being connected to Nature that I really love. Haven’t made a fire for many years I must say.
Thanks much Vicki! You should make a fire sometime soon…there is something magical about it!
Ah, yes! The joys of labor. Many forms have been nearly forgotten in our haste to live. In being so hasty, in embracing convenience, we’ve piled on the lack of joy, accomplishment, contentment.
I can tell you that my hands submerged in warm soapy dishwater as I gaze out the kitchen window, the rhythmic pulling of weeds and sorting out the good plants from the bad – seeing the soil, the insects, the native plants – these tasks provide the best forms of therapy and launch the best planning sessions I’ve ever had.
Life’s problems get sorted during physical tasks, and you get to know the details of the labor – something we’ve rushed past and missed along life’s convenient course. Great post, thanks for sharing. )
I am so very glad that you enjoyed the post! Glad to hear your thoughts! Thanks much! Tom
I am honored…..beautiful quote