Whittle Away from Yourself and You’ll Never Get Cut
By Del Albright
[delalbright.com]
I once heard a story about how to whittle that stuck with me. It was at a small-town fair, one of those places where the dust clings to your boots and the lemonade tastes like childhood. A teenager, full of questions and curiosity, asked an old woman sitting on a bench whittling away at a piece of wood, “What’s the secret of life?”
Without missing a beat or lifting her gaze, she said:
“If you always whittle away from yourself, you’ll never get cut.”
Now that, my friends, is truth wrapped in simplicity. While this is a humorous antidote from a November 2008 newsletter from Carbide Processors, Inc, and some words in a John Stone’s poem “Whittling: The Last Class” (2004), I love the message.
️A Sharp Metaphor
Whether you’ve ever held a pocketknife or not, the message is clear. Life, like whittling, takes awareness. If you’re careless, you’ll get hurt. If you’re reckless, someone else might. But if you’re mindful—if you pay attention to the angle, the direction, and the pressure—you can carve out something good without bleeding all over the place.
Common sense, right? The kind that’s getting rarer than campfire pancakes on a foggy morning.
️Daily Cuts We Don’t Notice
Truth is, we’re whittling every day:
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The food we eat (or don’t),
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The way we treat others,
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The way we speak to ourselves in the mirror,
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The time we waste spinning our wheels,
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The folks we let into our lives—some are more like axes than blades.
If you’re not paying attention, these things can nick you, wear you down, or just flat-out carve a hole in your soul.
Whittle With Purpose
“Whittle away from yourself” means more than avoiding self-harm. It means:
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Use common sense. Don’t start fires where they don’t belong—literally or figuratively.
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Treat people how you want to be treated. The Golden Rule isn’t out of style.
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Don’t cut others to make yourself look sharp.
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Stay sharp, but stay kind.
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Watch who you hand your knife to—some folks shouldn’t have sharp objects or your time.
Keep the Idiots at Bay
Yup, I said it. Life’s full of distractions—and some are walking around in human form. Part of not cutting yourself is not letting fools tug on your elbow while you’re carving. Pick your circle wisely. Tune out the noise when you can. If someone’s always causing drama, maybe it’s time to set your whittling chair a little farther away.
In all my years and many roles, I’ve never seen so many people packing this much drama. It’s like they carry it in their back pocket and can’t wait to unload it at your campfire. Well, just say no. Move your whittling away from them. Take care of you.
️ ️The Campfire Conclusion
We don’t need complex philosophies or thousand-dollar seminars to figure out how to live well. Sometimes, the clearest lessons come from the edge of a blade and the hands of someone who’s carved their way through life with intention.
So next time you’re out on the trail, at the fire, or just staring at your to-do list, remember this:
“If you always whittle away from yourself, you’ll never get cut.”
And if you see someone holding their blade the wrong way, hand ‘em some wisdom… and maybe a bandage.
Call to Action:
Have your own life lesson that fits this theme? Drop it in the comments or shoot me a message. Let’s keep passing the wisdom down, one clean cut at a time.