I need help please

[Paul Lindsey]

i all i know a lot of folks who posst here and i need some direction.
i have had some serious health issues the last three months which caused me to miss the Texas show.
ince i have been sick i seem to have lost interest in rod building. I can't come up with any ideas on wraps or marbling or even grips etc.
I'm just looking for a little advice. How can i get over this?

Thanks
Paul

[Zombie]

Paul,
You've probably just lost interest in the stuff you already know how to do. In essence, your bored. Sooooo, you need to try something you haven't done before. Concentrate on one technique and keep doing it until you've got it mastered. Think of a favorite wrap or color combination that you like to do then do the opposite. If you do the same thing over and over it's easy to get bored.

[rodweaver]

If it were me, I would do everything I could to get my health back. If you can walk, start and increase your distance/rate as you feel better. I have been having to do the same thing. I hate the treadmill. I would rather walk outside and watch nature. As you get feeling better you inspiration and desire will follow.

[Special Ed]

I have had the same thing happen to me, but with fishing in general. I felt burned out on it or just disinterested. This was true for me after surgery from an injury while I was in the Marine Corps, and after I got out and had kids I was just too busy to fish so I lost interest.

What helped me was taking someone fishing that was new to it. The first time was with a fellow Marine I met while I was his range coach on the rifle range. I took him out surf fishing along the shores of gorgeous Del Mar beach on Camp Pendleton one cool summer morning and from that moment forward I was hooked again. The smell of the ocean, the sand between my toes, and seeing the smile on his face while he shared this and a few fish with me was priceless.

Then after my kids got old enough to go fishing with me I started taking them to local ponds in Illinois and that got me hooked on fishing once again. Those smiles and the looks on their faces when they experience something new, learn about the fish and environment, and just plain old loving spending time with Dad was all it took for me to rekindle my love for the sport and the outdoors in general.

I guess what I'm saying is maybe you need to show someone new to rodbuilding a thing or two on your wrapping bench. Maybe set them up with a scrap blank and go over the basics, show them your tips and nuances, and see if that helps? Sometimes its the support and reassurance from others that helps us realize that this thing we love to do really means a lot to us.

I think that is one reason why sharing our work with others on forums, especially new techniques and methods is so vital to the progression of this craft. Not only does it bring new blood to the bench, but it also rekindles that passion and desire to build to the folks that have been doing it for years.

Or maybe I'm just full of beans?

[Silvia]

Paul,

First off I am thinking of you and we missed you so much. I really had hoped that we would see you. When I saw your unopened envelope in will call I was so disappointed that you couldn't come. First because I knew you really missed out and second because I was afraid that meant negative things about the health issues. Please know I am praying for you.

I wonder if there is anything like I have just found near us that has our heroes who have come home and are in different rehab centers across the US. Look into that, see if you could volunteer your rod building skills to these facilities. If you could have seen those two young men that we met, you would have found all the motivation you ever needed. Check with the hospitals and different rehab centers and you will finally get a lead that will send you in the right direction. It is not easy---finding military men and women to accept the rods from the contest was difficult at best. A great deal of privacy hinders helping, but we can all understand why there is such a privacy issue. Give that a try Paul and you will be a new man. I almost exploded with ideas after leaving that facility. Your help would be so very welcome and the young men I met would welcome you with open arms!!

[Paul Lindsey]

Thanks so much for your comments. I will try some of your recommendations.
Good health and good luck to all
Paul

[Good Wraps Bob]

Paul We all go threw those feelings. The best thing to do is look at other
works and try to improve on them. An remember nothing is written in stone