No Matter Who You Are, You Know Plenty About Drilling

One of the family traditions is the telling of the fish story. I received the most recent fish story from my mother yesterday. More amazed by the speed at which this story tore through the family lineage than by the story itself, after listening to it, my thoughts went to drilling.

No matter who you are, you know a lot more about drilling than you are probably bragging about. If you are a doctor, a teacher, a carpenter, a plumber, a lawyer, an artist, a preacher, a store clerk, a car mechanic, a mother, or a any other person, drilling is a part of your life.
When my brother went out onto the ice, he drilled a hole in it, to fish. This was accomplished by getting a huge bit, an auger bit and setting it to the surface. Either gas powered or hand powered, drilling a hole in 'the ice' is not a problem. And that is the point that my mind landed on while walking this morning: anything can be drilled. It doesn't matter what the surface is. Dirt, metal, wood, body, bone, mind, wall, culture. There is a way in. And a host of tools, strategies, and mentors. This is definitely an activity where 'Watch Me' has a pay off. At the end of this week, I have said, 'thank you Martin L. King,' several times.

After my brother drilled the hole, he set a line, and went up to the cabin. He returned shortly to find a northern pike had taken the bait and was still on the line. How did he know it was a northern pike? He pulled it up and was faced with the terrifying jaw line of the beast. I say terrifying because the body of this fish was so large, it would not fit through the hole. He had a length of eight inches through the ice opening, and no more. And it was all teeth.

Yes, we can all drill. But how much of a hole should we drill? Where is the best location to drill the hole? How will that incessant whirling sound be tolerated? Should I even care that the entire neighborhood is listening to my drilling? How hot should I let the drill motor get before I give it a break. How big a hole will do the job for this particular task? All of these things we calculate as we go along.

Two people asked me this week, "Didn't you start school this week?"

Yes, I did.

I started drilling this hole about five months ago. I selected a small bit for this job. Better safe than sorry. As time passed, I had to replace my selection with a larger bit. 'This little bit is not going to do the job.' Actually, I have changed the bit quite a bit. And paused quite a few times,
resting the motor.

I am tempted to write my brother the fisherman and say, "What we have in common is an endless supply of bits, and great hope."