Living the Open Air

Living the Open Air When the sun comes out and the cold air chills you all around.. who doesn’t want to escape from the workplace? Let’s not tell each other lies: everyone!

There are many outdoor activities that can be enjoyed like walking or running, biking or hiking, swimming, fishing, picnicking, playing frisbee….  and many more.

There are those who prefer to lie down, perhaps on a sofa, with good music while sipping something cool.

Personally, when the air is clear and the temperature brisk, a sort of call comes into my head. A little voice that from afar tells me: “wood, wood, wood!”.. I just start to imagine myself with a nice checked shirt over jeans, boots and a cap… without forgetting my infallible ax! Oh yes, I have a strong passion for getting firewood. Unfortunately I don’t do it a lot during the year, but when it does, it’s a game day for me!

The feeling I get when I see a stump of stubborn wood explode under the blows of an ax is something great. I think about all that energy, the force conveyed by the handle of the ax, which by moving from me to the stump, causes the gash.

WOW.

The experience I fill with each shot, the stubbornness I put over after I “get bounced” without getting the coveted “one-shot” break… This set of gestures, combined with living in the open air, give me energy. Life.

Chopping wood by hand can be a physically demanding activity and I admit my arms and shoulders don’t feel the same way! In that moment, something lights up inside me, a sort of desire to start over, to move forward, a sense of satisfaction at having completed my task.

Furthermore, for me, splitting wood in the open air is a relaxing and meditative activity, which allows me to detach my mind from daily worries and concentrate on the present moment. A sort of natural therapy that gives me a sense of peace.

We don’t forget to mention the “constructive” side of this job: putting the wood away in the boxes, piece by piece, watching this wooden structure grow as if it were a cube that forms layer after layer.

So, at the end of the day, what really satisfies me a lot after hard work is admiring the result of hard work. Still sweaty and tired, I take a well-deserved moment of relaxation. I take a hot shower, comb my beard and dry it carefully. In the end, after a tiring day, I lay down on the sofa, turning on the TV and drinking a good beer while stroking my big red cat.