Between birds and tools. The magic of woodworking and the love of nature

In the afternoon I was walking to the house after shopping. Usually, when I return home, I get distracted a lot by watching the macaws, the sparrowhawks and the herons, which always stand in the trees of the Quinta de Villa Zoila. These birds brighten up my day every time I go shopping, and I really feel very privileged to be able to be near them, in a natural environment, being in the very capital of the country.

—Hello, Rodrigo. How do you do? —Victor greeted me, when I got to the lift.

—All right, brother, coming home from some shopping. How's the family doing?—I replied to him

—Very well, casting pod as usual. Come on, Rodrigo. You, you do wood work and repairs, right? —He asked me, with curiosity.

—Yes, I do several wood works and also some cabinetmaking tasks, but it depends on what is going to be done, since some tools were stolen, so I am a little limited, to perform certain jobs. —I answered him.

—I have a serious problem with the kitchen of the house, and I also need to repair the wooden chairs in the dining room, which are very loose and some are almost disassembled. If you feel up to it, stop by the house and let's square up. — Victor told me.

—With pleasure, I take the groceries and if you're going to be at the house, I'll be by in a little while. —I answered him.

—Okay, I'll wait for you. —Victor said when saying goodbye.

I went to my house to drop off the purchases I had made, and after arranging the purchases, I went to the place where I keep the tools, and looked for the subway, an annotation table, some sheets, and after having that at hand, I went down to Victor's house.

When I arrived at the house and reviewed what I wanted to do, I felt very comfortable with the type of work, as I had all the tools I needed, to get the job done. But the work of the kitchen, was a little complicated, since the entire wooden and formic floor of the kitchen, had rotted in the dishwasher space, due to a constant leak of water.

In addition, a good part of the wood, of the side panel, was bulged by water, so it had to be removed, and there was also a water can, which I had not seen that repaired the leak that needed to be fixed.

When I showed Victor and his wife the damage that had been done to the other panels of the kitchen, the concern was reflected on their faces, and even more when they saw that a beam that seemed to be made of wood, which served as a support for the kitchen had come off.

At that moment, I took out the support beam, and it was made of a material called MDF, which I don't like to work with, because it is too flimsy and gets damaged very badly if it comes into contact with water.

After doing the review of what needed to be done. When I started talking to Victor and his wife to give them the diagnosis, they confessed to me, that before calling me, they had called a professional carpenter, and the carpenter, had recommended them to make a new kitchen.

When they asked me what I thought, I told them that if it is true that I was not a professional carpenter, but a professional, who had woodworking and repairs as a hobby, I thought very differently, and I assured them that I could fix their kitchen, without problems and putting it to the test, but that I would not do it with MDF, but with wood.

Finally, they gave me the go-ahead, and at that moment, I asked them for the money to make the purchase of the material. After buying everything I needed, I dedicated myself to removing the entire floor of the built-in kitchen, and then, I did it again with pine wood. In addition, the boards with which I made the floor, I worked them, polished them and placed them, sealant and varnish, which left them very beautiful and pleasing to the eye.

Then I arranged the kitchen doors that were bad, and finally, I arranged the dining room chairs. The work was excellent, Victor and his wife were very happy, so much so, that after finishing the work of their kitchen, they asked me for other arrangements and ended up recommending me to other people.

And if it is true that for me that job meant an extra income of money, it is also true that there is nothing that gives me more joy, and that makes me feel more satisfied, than doing manual work that will last for years and that is constantly used, and that people are happy with a job that I do.

That makes me very happy and gives me a lot of satisfaction, since doing a craft that allows me to repair, create and fix different things, ends up joining my profession, which, although I no longer practice it at work, also allows me to be a creator of various contents, which makes me feel, very joyful and complete, and uniting is my family, my partner, my friends and my spirituality, they give a great fullness and joy to my life.

Thanks for reading me.