When I had a chance to meet Charles Eisenstein at Imagine Festival of Orcas Island this year I knew I had to make him a spoon. But what wood to use? That is often one of the hardest parts of the spoon making process: choosing the right piece of wood.
Before Imagine I stayed at my brother Learner's place and slept in a hammock supported by and sheltered by cedar trees. They made a little room between them that had a nice floor of their debris. As a gift to my brother I cleaned up the place a little, pulling the trailing blackberry vines, raking, and removing a few dead, low-hanging cedar branches. One of these branches called out to me to be made into a spoon. It seemed fitting for Charles somehow. One part that matched up is that he has been recently living at the farm of his brother, helping out during the days and working on his book in the evenings. A life of family and service is important to both of us, and this piece of wood was closely connected now to that story.
I left some of the bug-scribed outer wood on the spoon to show more of it's character.
Charles and I didn't find a chance to talk at Imagine, but I did give him a hug. He is smaller than I'd thought he was. When I gave the spoon to him it was in a song circle. We had just sung a song about giving gifts, and I felt it was the right time to present this one. I told him where I'd gotten the wood. He said thank you and that he would use it! It feels my gift to be received by someone I hold in such high regard.
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