I rarely watch regular television programming. Yes, I'm sure a that a lot of people who want to sound intellectual are probably saying same. But, I quite honestly do not watch much regular television. When I do watch the television, often very late at night, or in the case of it being a weekend, very early in the morning, my watchlist usually consists of documentaries (either science of history), restoration videos, and of course woodworking videos. I say this because lately I've made quite a few woodworking videos myself. I'm not going to claim that they are very good. In fact, just a few days ago I was told by someone very close to me that those videos are "stupid", as in, "are you making one of your stupid woodworking videos?". Ironically, I wasn't at the time, but that is beside the point.
The comment notwithstanding, I suppose my videos are stupid, and after being told that they are stupid the likelihood of my making another one is quite small. Yet, I am still glad that I took the time to make those stupid videos. I'm at the age where I hope that in my life I made a difference....somewhere. I've come to grips with the fact that I will never have my dream garage with a real workshop; I will never be a musician on a worldwide tour; I won't teach history or write the great American novel. Hell, I can't even spend 20 minutes in my dingy little garage making a video that 20 people might watch without being called stupid for doing so. But, maybe somewhere, somebody might see one of my videos and maybe it will make a difference. Maybe the viewer will be inspired to sharpen their chisel, or attempt to restore an old tool, or even turn the back corner of their own dingy garage into a workspace.
Yeah, these are small aspirations, but big or even medium aspirations have already passed me by. I don't know how much more time I have left on good old planet Earth, and there are some days when I feel that I don't have much. So, I ask you to forgive me for making stupid woodworking videos, especially if you watched one of them and felt stupid for doing so. If it means anything at all, know that these videos were not an attempt to become a YouTube personality or woodworking entity of any kind. If it means anything, know that my motives were pure. And know that I was only trying to make a difference, however small it may have been. More so, know that I was only trying to convince myself that I've made a difference, however small it may have been.
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