Craft is Graft

craft (kraft) noun- meaning skill, dexterity 
graft (gra:ft) noun- British slang for hard work or labour 

I have long held the view that these two things were incompatible, and there was nothing in common between them except a similar spelling. Craft, I reasoned, was like art; something you enjoyed; a skill or ability that comes naturally and is therefore, by definition, almost effortless. Having to work at it, putting it next to words like 'hard' and 'labour' in the same sentence, by definition takes away from the enjoyment that practicing a craft should bring. Graft was for the less endowed, the ones trying to get to their destination with only half a tank. It could be a virtue, but it was definitely not fun. 

I now realise this was not only arrogant, but profoundly flawed. Craft and Graft are actually not strangers, they are not even just identical conjoined twins, they are in fact the same thing. The graft is what transforms something illusory into something that's held up for the world to see. Graft takes the talent that lurks in the shadows and drags it, sometimes kicking and screaming, into the unforgiving light of the sun. Graft is the voice that says- 'Here, I MADE this.' If it wasn't hard or scary, it probably wasn't worth it to begin with. 

This new belief was reinforced by something I read recently. In a certain part of the world, according to the locals, water used to be found at 150 feet below the ground and now you have to drill down to 1500 feet to get to it. This seemed an apt metaphor for how sometimes the things that once used to be easy - back in the heady days when youth and time seemed infinite - inexplicably becomes harder. There can be many reasons for this, and it’s tempting to treat each reason like one more brick in the protective wall you build around yourself. But it is more important than ever to try. Like that water, if you know in your heart the thing you want exists, the ONLY way is to keep digging till you find it. 

PS 1: Obviously this is not a revolutionary thought. And I’m aware that coming to this realisation so late in my life makes me look even more foolish than I actually am. 

PS 2: Like most of the posts on this blog, all of the above can be summarised in one line- anything worth doing, is worth doing with your heart and soul. 

PS 3: It is late now. I am going to bed.