Doing the (Wood) Work Part 3 : Life isn't like a box of chocolates it's like a box of sandpaper

Alright so this week's analogy is all about creating the shape (relationship) you want.

When I got started cutting out the base of my chair... it's a rocking chair. So in creating the bottom curved piece of the rocker, I had to use the bandsaw to first cut close to the lines. I couldn't get to close though or I would have cut into the shape I was looking for.

Bandsaw: Getting close to the shape you want, but not too close. Cutting away the excess pieces you don't need. Cleaning off the extra that won't contribute to the design.

In relationships, that looks like cutting away the pieces that no longer are needed for the final design. This may be walls you built from past relationships, it might be layers you created to protect yourself from an experience. They are there for a reason... and now it is safe to cut them away for what you want to build instead.

Sandpaper: Then comes the sandpaper. There is many layers to this. Saying you are going to sand down the pieces comes as layers. There is the courser sandpaper all the way down to the very fine sandpaper. The course sandpaper is effective in taking a lot off of the piece you are working with. It does so quickly though so you have to be careful again to get close to the line but not too close.

After that, you use a less course grade of paper. This means you can get closer to that line while still taking off some but it requires more pressure and more work to slowly sand off the wood.

This goes on until you get to the lines you created or very very close. The fine sandpaper comes in for the finish then.

When you aren't looking at sanding the edges... there is sanding the faces. The course sandpaper is necessary to get off the course layers. You will get a cleaner feel after using them but it takes a few more grains of sandpaper to get down to that smooth finish. That is when it takes on the satisfying look and feel of 'prepared' wood. Ready to be assembled into it's form. <3

In life, in relationships... it its truly more like a box of sandpaper.

When you work to create shape of the relationship you are looking for, you start to cut away the bigger chunks you can see outside of the shape. Sometimes they are easy to shed. Sometimes they hurt.

Then as you sand down, the courser grains take more of what you don't want away quickly but with a little more tension. I think of it like getting a raspberry after sliding into second base or if you scrap or knee on the gravel.

As you get closer and closer to the shape you want, you use finer grains but they take more pressure. More energy. You have to do them by hand to get the perfect shape and check to make sure you are still on track often. Eventually this leads to that finished smooth feeling. <3 Not always easy. Always worth it. <3

What are your different grains of sandpaper you use? How do you shape yourself & your relationships in life?