by Mike Elliott, Kettle River Canoes
A Zen Master and his student were walking together across a bridge when the student asked, “Master, What is Zen?” Before the student had a chance to react, the Zen Master picked him up and threw him off the bridge into the river below.
Zen is the moment – right here, right now. Zen Masters have written thousands of books in an attempt to explain the unexplainable. As the student hurtled through the air towards the water in the river, he was totally consumed in the moment. No past – No future – Just now.
So, what does this have to do with wooden canoes? I have found that a successful canoe restoration demands a mind and body that work together in the present moment. As soon as I rush things, I make mistakes and have to start all over again. As soon as I think of myself as the expert, I find something I’ve never come across before. As soon as I think the task is simple, I get bogged down in complex problems. As soon as I obsess over technical aspects and try to think my way through them, everything grinds to a halt in a mass of frustration. And the more I try to get out of my head and get back to “the moment”, the worse the frustrations become.
For me, a canoe restoration it is an opportunity to immerse myself in the moment – now and now and now and now. When I succeed, the hammer drives the tacks straight into the wood – almost by itself. The hot, steamed wood bends to hug the canoe in a warm embrace. The work flows and I lose track of time.
However, as soon as I try to take credit for the accomplishment or repeat the masterful actions of the past, everything goes wrong. I bend a new rib over the canoe only to find that it is upside-down and has to be thrown away. The air of the shop is filled with my not-so-quiet curses.
In those moments, I endeavor to see the cloud of frustration as a gift. Sometimes at least, I am able to catch myself and laugh at the situation and – with any luck – laugh at my approach to it. I take a deep breath and shake my head. Instead of trying to change the situation, I revel in the fact that I am feeling frustrated. I practice learning how to stay with the day where nothing seems to be going my way. When I succeed in taking the day – and myself – for what it is, things tend to turn around. Paradoxically, as soon as I try to hold onto my feelings of frustration they vanish and the rest of the day tends to flow a little more smoothly.
Perfection is Impossible
When it comes right down to it, you are not working on your old wooden canoe, you are working with it. You and your canoe are active partners in search of a successful conclusion. You must listen to your canoe and accept its strengths and limitations. There will be times when you want one thing and your canoe simply has something else in mind. You must be prepared for times when things don’t go as planned. The fact is, when things work out the first time, it will be the exception rather than the rule.
The minute you try to force the issue, your canoe will remind you who is in charge. Let your mind wander and your canoe will shake you back to reality. Think for a moment that you know what you are doing and your canoe will show you otherwise.
Mistakes are the engine of learning and mastery. Indeed, in order to allow your body to learn anything, you must give it permission to screw up. However, you are starting down a particularly challenging path. A friend of mine, a master carpenter with 25 years of experience, ran from the room five hours into a canoe restoration and wished me luck on my crazy adventure.
Your canoe may have been made in a factory as one of thousands in the production line. However, after four or five decades, it is unique. The lines are no longer completely fair. The wood is no longer smooth and even. Abraham Lincoln said, “Every man over forty is responsible for his own face.” So too, the life of your canoe is written in every crack and warp in its venerable hull.
I use a lot of photographs to illustrate the techniques I describe in my articles. Bear in mind, that I have the luxury of selection. If I were to illustrate the mistakes as well as the successes, the articles would be at least twenty times as long.
My hope is that by presenting some of my successes and alerting you to some of the pitfalls, your canoe restoration will be rewarding, enjoyable and successful.
