SOLSC '23 Day 12: The woodworker/ The teacher

Once upon a time, there was a woodworker who was renowned for her skills in creating beautiful pieces of art and furniture that lasted lifetimes.  People would bring her milled wood, often with nothing more than a request to make something wonderful.  The woodworker would turn the pieces of wood this way and that, noting the unique patterns, knots and whorls.  Her discerning eye helped her envision the final product,  and her nimble hands would work for days, months, sometimes a year before the project would emerge as a finished piece.  

The craftswoman loved her work.  It was a joy to uncover the beauty and potential in a plain, cut piece of wood.  Her renown grew, and soon many people were bringing her wood to carve and cut and shape.  She had many projects going on at the same time, but the woodworker didn't mind.  She loved her work, and went home satisfied each day with her progress.  Her customers didn't mind waiting, either, because they appreciated her skill and attention to detail.

One day, a customer arrived with some hewn logs, the rough bark still attached.  "I don't have the time or money to take this to the mill," the customer said.  "Can you plane and sand these pieces to make something beautiful for me?"  The woodworker hesitated, but because she believed in the beauty of the wood and wanted to satisfy the needs of the customer, she agreed.  Of course, the project took more time than usual, and she had other pieces to finish, too.  Some customers became unhappy with the rate of progress on their projects, but they appreciated her skill, so they still sent work her way.

Word spread that she could finish rough logs before crafting them, and soon more customers were skipping the milling process.  "This adds much more work and time to your project," the woodworker explained, "And I will need to charge more for the extra hours."  "We can't afford that," the customers would say, "but we so appreciate your talent, and we will praise you publicly for your beautiful work.  If you can't handle the challenge, well..."  And the woodworker, worried about her reputation and livelihood, acquiesced, working late into the evenings, trying to keep up with the added load.

Not long after, a customer entered the workshop empty-handed.  "There is a beautiful, old tree on my property that I want to have made into furniture for my home.  Do you think you could cut it down, mill it, and craft the pieces as only you can do?"  

The woodworker hesitated again; she was already tired from doing the milling and craftwork for her current projects.  Just this time, though, she thought to herself.  It is a beautiful tree, and I can create beautiful pieces from it. So she took her axe to the customer's property, chopped down the tree, dragged it back to her workshop, and got to work on the order.

When the city found out that she could cut down the trees as well as craft the pieces, they had a brilliant idea.  Why not have this craftswoman build us a new City Hall, walls and rafters, benches and desks, floors and chairs?

The mayor and city council approached the woodworker with this new request.  She was speechless, and they took it as a sign of her willingness to take on the job.  The mayor handed her an axe and the entire council brought her to the edge of the forest with the trees they wished to use.  Then they left, confident that she would complete the project as requested.

Instead, the woodworker fell to her knees, the axe falling to the ground.  She looked at her hands, calloused and bruised beyond repair, as she brought them to her face and wept.  After her tears were spent, she stood up, dusted herself off, and wandered into the woods, never to be seen again.

Once upon a time, there was a teacher...