They say that the best things in life are free...well i think maybe they are wrong.
The best things in life are what you work for, the skills obtained and how they serve you. I have been a collector of sorts, collecting skills and hobbies and giving myself all sorts of tasks until I gain proficiency. Starting with bushcraft knowledge, I gained a love for self reliance. It evolved into a desire to know mechanical things and that developed into my career. I learned of Ishi the Yahi and then decided that I would learn how to make stone tools and realized after many cuts and broken arrowheads, knives and various pieces that I am a modern day caveman and flintknapper. I enjoy the process of troubleshooting all sorts of things, from materials to processes and systems.
And now it comes to this: I will build a forge and gain new knowledge. I will make a new skill set that will serve me further. There can be more than a hobby in this, I realize, and with a lot of help maybe even mastery of a craft. The best things in life are built in sweat, aches, dedication and time.
Please be kind to this newbie, I'll have a thousand questions.
Anjin