"This life is not for complaint, but for satisfaction." ~ Henry David Thoreau

Finally finished!!

My hubs asked me the other day what it is about crocheting and knitting that I liked so much.  The best answer I could give was that there is grand satisfaction in making something by hand, and then seeing it used and appreciated by others, especially the ones' you love.  All of these type of activities would apply I think--cooking, baking, sewing, crafting, woodworking, whatever. The whole act of just making something with your hands is not only deeply gratifying, but magical... and addictive.

I recently read a book called Shop Class as Soulcraft by Matthew Crawford, which explored the lost art of having a skill, or a trade to call your own. To have a trade or skill that places an individual as a valuable member of a community, he says, is one of the most satisfying life experiences one can have. The author went from writing medical journal/periodical summaries in a cubicle to being a motorcycle mechanic in a small town. He explored industrialization and the psychological effects it had on its workers. When the entire skill of machine making was stripped down to just making one part on an assembly line, not only is the skilled ripped apart, but so is the gratification of the worker himself. Workers end up separating themselves from the product they are making, the quality of that product, and the connection they have to the consumer themselves. 

Connection, I am realizing, is multifaceted. First there is the connection to knowing that you started with something raw, organic, or formless--whether it is the wood being built, stone being chiseled, fiber being twisted into yarn, or food being grown.  Then, there is connection to the learning and doing the skill or trade itself.  Skills like these take time to acquire and learn, but the process itself gives gratification when finally conquering that skill.  And lastly, there is the direct connection to the people who are going to use what has been made. The satisfaction of watching that creation being used or purchased by another. All of this is tied into personal satisfaction and purpose, as well as a sense of community.

I know it isn't possible anymore for everyone to learn a trade and run out and get a job as a mechanic or glassblower. Society just isn't set up that way anymore.  But, for me, I get my own slice of satisfaction when I see those socks on my husband or blankets on my children :).