This past Saturday I traveled to the Loess Hills of Iowa to assist with the removal of some dead trees. One of the men working on this project owns cabins in that area and also a small town convenience store/cafe. Adjacent to where most of the cabins are is a small public pond that is apparently Home Sweet Home to a beaver or two (or more). So what does all this have to do with tackling a big job. Well just this, two examples of how to do it were visible near the pond – the beavers providing the evidence. They had gnawed two rather sizeable trees, causing the one to topple already and the other would have soon followed with a few more nights of activity. As we were examining the chips of wood and torn off bark, it became very apparent how these trees met their demise – one gnaw at a time. The beavers weren’t overwhelmed by the size of their job, they just tackled it a bite at a time and kept at it. Eventually they had their desired result.

So we came away with an object lesson in strategy and perspective. When faced with an enormous obstacle or task, we need to just take it a step at a time, stay at it consistently and the job will get done in due time (maybe I can apply that to getting all the studio upgrades accomplished). And oh, my friend obtained permission to remove the two tree trunks that had been “destroyed”, and at least one of them will hold residence in his store as a conversation piece (or platform for a duck decoy) – and maybe a reminder or two about tackling huge jobs.

On a side note, the studio is extremely quiet right now. The old Pro Tools system has been turned off – one major step toward the goal.