W + hetstone = WHETSTONE
whet·stone
[hwet-stohn, wet–]
1. a stone for sharpening cutlery or tools by friction.
2. anything that sharpens: a whetstone for dull wits.
I remember my father having this small rectangular stone that he kept in a leather pouch. Every so often he would take it out and scrape his pocket knife against it, back and forth, sharpening his knife. It wasn’t a particularly big deal, but I remember.
Anything that gets used regularly gets dulled by its surroundings. Every good chef knows that the kitchen knives must be kept razor sharp in order to perform as intended. Dull knives slow the process down and can make presentation ugly with ragged edges and poorly trimmed foods. The taste may be okay, but something is just “off”.
In regular life we get dulled by our surroundings. Day in and day out we bump against time schedules, mundane tasks, misunderstandings, and emotional minefields. When we get dull, we’re not at our best. We need a whetstone in our lives. sometimes more than one, different sizes for different “knives” in our collection.
I have several whetstones in my life. My husband is one. He helps me stay at my best, scraping away the dullness of my life. My faith and my church community are another. They keep me centered and focused on my core beliefs. My friends are another whetstone, they help clear my vision back to what is important and fun in my life. My critique group and blogging circle are a whetstone for my writing.
Do you have whetstones in your life? You can’t help but get dulled by living – you need to be kept “sharp”. Look for the whetstones in your life and embrace the scraping, you’ll be better for it!
I have lots of whetstones in life…they help keep me charged and excited about everything that comes along! One is definitely my husband!
Carla
Can someone recommend a whetstone for writers? I feel I need one now.
Great metaphor. God is my whetstone. Can't get by a day (or even a second) without His help. He keeps me sharp, strong and focused.
Hi Sheila, Just connecting via the A-Z Challenge, and so glad I found you and your blog. Love the concept of having a whetstone. Well done!
thanks for dropping by my blog. I remember my grandma using whetstones a lot back in the day.great post!
nutschell
http://www.thewritingnut.com
I love the way compare the impportant people in your life to a whetstone. Sounds like you have a great support group!
Good post. I was excited to see you are from Greensboro. We are anticipating moving there as soon as our farm sells. Our daughter and son-in-law live there.
We are so close to the end of A-Z Sheila – you have done so well. I have loved reading your A-Z posts, learning lots of new things as I go.Sorry my comment is late, but please know I have been thinking of you. 🙂
My teenagers keep me on my toes with their smart minds & mouths! lol I have to stay sharp so I am always one step ahead of them. 🙂 Great post!