YOU CAN'T

"You can't!" This was not a maybe or a soft request. This was a demand. "Don't make me repeat myself!" And of course he did. "YOU CAN NOT!" I said again but louder, stronger and with clenched teeth because I knew who needed a swift kick up the wazoo in a way.

Kyle rolled his eyes and tried to play nice. "I get it." he said to his buddy. He knew what Chris was telling him with a nice, yet with a heavy hammer way of making him stay safe. It was a reminder of a time not long go that Kyle tried and failed nearly cutting his leg off. It was a moment gone wrong and not for the right reason. Chris was there to save his sorry, you know.

The thing was, that I know what to do with anything with a blade; a chain, chop, skill, jig, table, coping saw, bow, rip fret, biscuit, whatever. It's been a family thing forever. When I was just a kid, my Dad showed me the best tool on the planet. It was just a hand saw, but that blade and I made forever friends that day. He taught me everything to know about using that tool, how to hold it, the proper glide against the grain, and the best wood for the job. Then how to care for it all when the project was done.

Since those days, I've learned more by doing and following my Dad's guidance. "Know your skill level" is how he began. "Learn by doing with great care. And keep it real. Don't rush. Listen to the blade and what it's telling you. Is it sharp? STOP! Don't put that detail off as it could spell an unfortunate mishap or should I say, a stupid and foolish mistake. You only got two arms, two legs, two hands and ten fingers. Keep it that way." These words are forever ingrained in my life. Our family grew to achieve a very successful lumber business. Even my sisters could work the magic. DOWN the NEXT BLOCK was our company name and we 'wood' all make a hard living, if you get my pun. We were Lumber Jacks and Jills. I got it in my head not long ago, to step out of my comfort zone and try an interesting twist. Why not? It was another way to prove my skill, put our name out there and have fun. I wasn't into the wood carving, creative sculpting angle. That was for someone else. I saw a different light that was fast and furious. I watched one guy way older than me, at an event, use a mean but clever way to jack saw and in the end it was his claim to fame. I HAD TO DO THIS! It was the HOT SAW Lumber Competition.

Now it was the time to do it. I couldn't call it quits. I failed once. NEVER AGAIN! The memory of that moment is still with me. But, I'm older now and wiser? I hope. But now I have the proper proticol nailed down. Looking back, I have to blame my sisters. It started as a fun moment one day after school. Home chores were done for the day and we stood around the barn ragging on one another as siblings often do.

"Why do girls get the best of me?" Kyle needed to know the answer. There was no competition in the family as we all worked together on the job site. But off site, it was different. How they got me to show off with my saw to several of their girl friends, was a different thing. I put that memory away in my back pocket, crushing it whenever I sit. Let's just say I will never, ever again pretend to know how to sculpt a huge log into a Marvel character to impress any fan club. Too fast, no plan, the end of a long work week, and my saw weighing me down like a ton of bricks. That turned into a fiasco where I dropped the saw blade slicing my pant leg open and giving me a gash that ruined my leg for a long time. My Dad was not happy.

I decided to smarten up. My life was not about failing especially in this way. The HOT SAW Lumber Competition was one of the many events at the festival this weekend. I signed up and didn't think twice. Although I did have to stop and think twice because the other events were way over the top and had me in awe of what I could do next time. The standing block chop and the underhand chop. These were on the 'next time' list. My buddy Chris had no idea how much time I put into practicing for the logging sport or the "cookie cutting" part. I could open up my own bakery now! They'd be big but so unique. I opted not to tell my family as this was to be a serious moment for myself to accomplish something unique.

It was now the morning of the event. My scheduled time was high noon. Fortunately, we had no work jobs on this day, so I made up a story to get out and away from home. My two sisters looked at one another and shrugged. They knew I was into something but didn't want to spoil it for me. I grabbed the keys, took the truck, and with haste drove around the back of the barn. Everything I needed was quickly piled in; safety glasses, hearing protectors, chain mail mesh armor and my favorite chaps. My best friend was carefully handled and placed just so in the bed of the truck. It was a high- class modified racing chain saw with more teeth than Godzilla and way more sharper than that big guy. The weight of it, I can now handle, no question. There will be no slack on my part. Looking back, I can now smile at where one huge pitfall brought me; to a new chapter in my life.

Driving away and towards this epic event, I kept a few words playing in my head. "Listen to the blade." Done.