Lessons From A Spoon

I’ve taken up a new hobby - carving spoons! 

My friend Bron, gifted me two beautiful hand carved spoons and I loved them so much, that I asked her if she could teach us her art.

And now I have the “spoon bug”.

A spoon is such an ordinary and humble thing. 

It feeds, stirs and serves. 

It carries soup to the mouth and honey to the tea. 

But there is something ancient and intimate about carving a spoon.  

Sitting with a block of wood in stillness - a slow and intentional practice, a conversation between hand and wood. 

The scent of kauri pine - sweet and grounding. 

Curled shavings - wood glitter - like confetti, at my feet.

The wood knows more than I do. It tells me where to cut, where to stop and when to pause.

It’s a collaboration - not a conquest.

Finding a rhythm - knife, breath, curl and carve - draws me out of the rush of life and into the tempo of presence.

Somewhere, someone else is making, maybe carving too.

 Across the world, across time.

Potters, bakers, gardeners, weavers. 

We are connected to others who work with their hands 

A lineage of care and heart 

 Slow work softening fast lives.

Teaching us patience and curiosity 

Not perfect but honest 

Each piece holding the imprint of the maker 

A way of remembering what truly matters