English blacksmith Alec Steele used the phrase “perishable skills” in a recent YouTube video to describe the decline of a skill level after not using that skill for a few months. He also applied the concept to patience - as in, rushing a task and having to fix the resulting error. Patience needs to be exercised, just as a muscle needs to be exercised, and practiced to be a useful tool in one's skill set.
So, while it means the same as “use it or lose it,” “perishable skills” is, to me, a more elegant description of the phenomenon.
Now, five weeks out from surgery, I am growing inpatient - I want to get back to Gardens to tidy things up, put some things right that need it, and work on the ‘improvements’ I’ve identified since that one sailing weekend almost two months ago. But, since I am not physically able to get to work in my shop, I must exercise patience while resting soft tissue…
I am also growing inpatient for next year's sailing season. There are a number of events I am looking forward to attending: a planned messabout (including a Scamp Camp, small boat skills training, hand tool demonstrations, and boatbuilding skills) featuring John Welsford designed boats in Sheboygan, WI; a sailing weekend in Les Cheneaux Islands in Michigan's Upper Penninsula; the Sunfish Dinghy Challenge in Virginia; the Mid Atlantic Small Boat Festival in Maryland; the the Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival in Washington; day sailing local lakes and other events as they come up!
The knee is improving - just not as quickly as I'd like.
