“She who succeeds in gaining the mastery of the bicycle will gain the mastery of life.”–Susan B. Anthony
The mechanism of the vintage Seth Thomas mantle clock near my desk is a puzzle and a challenge. I was given the non-working timepiece as a gift because the previous owner could not get it to keep time. I accepted it because I knew my friend Charlie would be able to service it. Sadly, before I had a chance to ask Charlie if and when he could look at the clock, he passed away.
Looking at the clock yesterday, I wondered if I could have it serviced elsewhere. The sources on the Web said the service was possible. However, the charges are well beyond my budgetary limits. The shipping cost alone took my breath away. So, the clock stands on the shelf next to the desk as a lovely piece of decor.
I think of my friend Charlie and his expert skills regarding clock and wristwatch repair. His expertise did not happen overnight. He worked diligently to improve his skills. He had to take courses and work for a time as an apprentice to a watchmaker. It also needed financial investment, because his craft required specialized equipment and tools. Also, the physical ability to perform exacting, precision work was mandatory.
As time went on, Charlie honed his craft to the point that he could confidently service exclusive prestige brands of watches and clocks. He constantly looked for ways to improve his knowledge and skills regarding repair and service of timekeeping devices. I once observed Charlie repair a complex, costly vintage Rolex chronograph. He was methodical each step of the way. Charlie remarked that this was a way to channel his perfectionism.
He disassembled the watch, examined the wheels and gears, then repaired one of the wheels that had become worn. He cleaned the tiny componants in a specialized parts cleaning machine. While the gears and wheels were being washed, Charlie polished scratches off of the case and bracelet. When the watch mechanism was fully reassembled, it was regulated for accuracy. The finished result was a watch that looked and ran like brand-new.
Although I am not blessed with the manual dexterity that is necessary for watch and clock repair, there are some takeaways to be had from Charlie’s methods. When one is unhappy with the status quo and how it affects one’s life, we know that we need to make important adjustments to our lifestyle. We want to get back in sync with our inner self.
Doing this requires a good amount of self-confidence and encouragement to stay the course. We use our dedication, focus, patience, and practice as we continue along our learning path. We make note of setbacks and use them as lessons. As in any worthwhile endeavor, we make adjustments and seek to improve techniques to ensure more effective skill-building. Doing this with determination keeps the process going.
Are we fully committed to master our approach to what is going on around us? Are we paying attention to our mental and physical processes? Are we working to master our inner and outer environment? Mastery is one thing, but mastery includes the ability to change course without internal struggle over past errors.
We ask ourselves what can we learn to create a more workable, compatible way to engage in life. What is distracting us? Do we really want to learn this new skill or way of thinking? Is it for show or is it something to help us rediscover our inner light? To ask these questions and seek the answers works for practical skills or an occupation and in the search for profound, inner meaning.
In the end, we are on a continuing journey that includes accuracy and expertise. This leads to self-respect and inner courage that will benefit us over time. We reinforce our practical skills by performing them honestly with integrity. The more we pay attention to our intentions and how we empower them, the more we are able to create the life we envision. Mastery is a great treasure to cultivate.
Namaste
The Blue Jay of Happiness quotes Renaissance architect, painter, and sculptor, Michelangelo Buonarroti. “If people knew how hard I worked to get my mastery, it wouldn’t seem so wonderful at all.”
bluejayblog 
This post, in particular, is a meaty one, and includes six meaty questions, any which of whom can devolve into self-reproach or an eagerness to find blame to ausage an answer in the negative. Inner voyaging ships of good intentions have foundered over this choice paragraph alone: “. . . Are we fully committed to master our approach to what is going on around us? Are we paying attention to our mental and physical processes? Are we working to master our inner and outer environment? Mastery is one thing, but mastery includes the ability to change course without internal struggle over past errors. . . . ”
I was seventeen when my mother arranged for me to take a summer painting course at The Manchester Vermont Arts Center, a course conducted by an older, wise and kindly accomplished artist, who, at its completion said to me, “You have promise but must work at being committed and disciplined. What medium interests you the most?” When I answered, ‘watercolour’, his voice took on a confidential tone: “Well, if it’s watercolour, then my best advice is to stay with it your entire life and not get sidetracked by trying out this or that medium along the way. Why? Because you’ll be hard-pressed to master it in your entire lifetime, much less oil or acrylic.”
He was uncannily correct on all fronts. As much as I have never, in my 60+ years of diverted away from painting in watercolour, I have great difficulty being ‘fully committed to master[ing my] approach’, ‘paying attention to [my] mental and physical processes’ and ‘working to master [my] inner and outer environment’, among other necessities. Finding my paper of choice took years in-and-of itself due to how many different types and brands and qualities there are. Technique depends on what’s going on with wetted paper. Am I outside with hot sun and dry winds blowing across it? Is it too wet for doing x,y, or z? Is it too dry? Is it too flat and needs to be tilted? Too much pigment? Too little? A sable brush or synthetic?
In the end, pigment added to wet paper does what it does and ‘paying attention to mental and physical processes’ as well as ‘working to master ones inner and outer environment’ is at the mercy of what that wetted pigment happens to decide to do every single second from the moment it is touched down.
All in all, dear Blue Jay of Happiness, one thing I am very clear on is that I’ll take painting watercolours any day of the week over deciding to try my hand….
at watch and clock repair.
Yes, the artist and the artisan do best when honing their skillsets within workable parameters. Although Charlie appreciated beautiful artistic creations, he never changed his talented skills and focus away from timepieces and their maintenance.