I drove to Darwin, MN over the weekend. I had some down time and thought I would do a little sight seeing. Darwin, MN has a population of about 350 people. It is a small place, really small. I saw a bar, one restaurant, and a big ball of string. For all it lacks in size, the ball of twine on the one small street more than makes up for it.
It's housed in a gazebo walled in by huge panels of plexiglass sheeting. It is made of bailing twine and it fills the inside of the gazebo almost completely.
What makes this ball of twine most impressive is that it was made by one man over the course of 29 years. The story is that he worked on it for 4 hours a day, every day during that time span. He started it in his barn and then when it got too big to manage he moved it outside. He put it up on jack stands to be able to keep the ball formed properly.
What does this post have to do with spoon carving or wood working? It shows what you can complete when you are passionate about a project. Working on something 4 hours a day for 29 years shows just how passionate Mr. Johnson was. This project probably controlled his life. It probably consumed him. Can you even imagine? What is your twine ball? What project consumes you? Is it carving a spoon or making a chair? Is it hiking or making bracelets out of paracord? Perhaps we don't all need to go to the lengths that Mr. Johnson did, but if nothing else we can take from him the following thought. He didn't make this ball of twine in one day. Not even in six months or six years. He worked hard on it, focused on it, and ended up making something truly great. I learned something on Sunday. I learned that I need to find my ball of twine and start rolling.
Please go make something with your hands. Please. You will be surprised at how much fun it is.
