How do you dig a Cave?

Start by Starting

There is a trailer for an Oscar-nominated documentary called Cave Digger by Jeffrey Karoff circulating the web.

It tells the story of an artist who has spent ten years (TEN YEARS!!) digging, cutting, carving, shaping sandstone in the New Mexico desert.

His work is beautiful, breathtaking. And still unfinished.

Do you have the fortitude to start a project that won’t be finished by 2025?

How do you find a Hole?

When I was just lad I was working on a construction site.

The builder had poured an 18″ thick concrete wall.

The contractor who hired me realized he had missed installing several pipes through that 18″ thick wall.

I showed up for work one cold morning, only for him to give me a jackhammer and a ladder.

He pointed up high into the corner of the room:

Do you see that big 24″ hole up there, boy?

No sir, I don’t.

Well, you will by the end of the day.

And with that he handed me the jackhammer and left.

How do you find a hole? You remove all the concrete.

How do you add a Window? 

My wife was working for a company that makes beautiful hand-crafted wood windows and doors.

One day she noticed three elaborate square windows in the junk pile. A client had changed her mind after they were manufactured.

She approached the General Manager:

What are we doing with those extra windows?

You have three identically sized 42″ openings in your house??

We could.

I got a new chain saw that day.

How do you add a window? You cut out all the wall that’s in the way.

Starting is never Easy. Sometimes it’s tougher than Normal.

I have several friends who run marathons. 

This is a lifestyle choice beyond my understanding and I admire them all for their dedication to see it through.

One of those friends spent months training in 2012 to run in the New York City marathon, only to have it cancelled because of Hurricane Sandy.

Within minutes of arriving, it was obvious we shouldn’t have been there. There were massive lineups for gas. There were confrontations in the hotels. It was massive devastation. It was definitely not the time for a race.

He turned around on a redeye flight and came home.

It’s the next thing he did that amazed me:

He ran a marathon.

At home.

In front of nobody.

To raise money for Hurricane Sandy relief efforts.

How do you run a marathon? You take the first step, then the second…..

There is only one way to get to the finish line. By crossing the starting line.

How do you dig a Cave? By removing all the Rock.