Looking to the Past, Building for the Future
The dining table I handcrafted during my apprenticeship at Thos. Moser Cabinetmakers in Auburn, Maine, finally arrived. The cherry wood looks beautiful and feels as smooth as glass. The pictures here don’t do it justice.
Thos. Moser’s Customer in Residence program provides amateurs an opportunity to work and learn alongside a master cabinetmaker while creating heirloom-quality furniture. The apprenticeship was a gift from my fiancée, Dawn Klingensmith, who knows I enjoy woodworking and even sold furniture on the side until several years ago, when all my tools were stolen. At that time, my family and practice were both growing fast, so I never got around to replacing my tools. I always thought I would get back to woodworking … someday.
About 150 miles down the coast from Thos. Moser’s woodshop is The Carroll Center for the Blind, in Newton, Mass., which provides training to people of all ages who have lost their sight so they can live independent and fulfilling lives. The Center has its own woodshop, where visually impaired craftspeople use many of the same power tools as I was using up the coast in Maine. The woodshop was the subject of a documentary film called “Working Blind,” which tells the story of three newly blind adults as they plan, measure and build projects over the course of a year. One lost his sight due to a brain tumor, another from disease and the third as a result of a traumatic head injury. All three thought they would never work with their hands again, let alone operate power saws.
I’m dovetailing these two distinct places and experiences because they got me thinking about the words “someday” and “never,” and how often they turn out to be the same thing.
The message I’d like to pass along to low-vision patients is this: Loss of sight does not mean loss of ability or opportunity.
And the message I’d like to pass along to anyone with a dream deferred is this: Don’t let “someday” turn into “never,” like I nearly did.
Dr. Jeff Pinkerton
I care for you.