I suppose if I spent enough time thinking about it, I could figure out why I've always been so fascinated with blacksmithing but I don't think it's important. What's important to me is that I feel like I found my purpose.
I couldn't say if everyone would feel the same way about heating a piece of steel and pounding it into shape with a hammer but the sense of satisfaction that comes with it is indescribable to me. It's possible that the setting played a large role as well but I think that was just icing on the cake. The Knight Foundry dates back to 1873 and has quite a history if you're interested in that sort of thing. (clickety here)
The fact that I now live minutes away from this absolute gem of a shop is unbelievable to me and reinforces the law of attraction. Most of the students had driven at least an hour to get there so I feel really fortunate to have it pretty much in my backyard.
Now...when I say I found my purpose, I'm not saying that my purpose is being a blacksmith but it confirmed a belief that I've been tossing around in my head for the last month or so. I believe that if you "lose time" when you're working on any given task that you've likely found your purpose, or at least one of them (who's to say you only get one?). When I'm creating, I lose time. When I'm learning a new way to create, I really lose time. When I'm using those new skills and creating a gift for someone...forget it, I want time to stop so I don't have to.
When I'm making a gift for someone, I don't put a time limit on it because it's not about the amount of time I put into it. I work on it until it's done to my best ability. This has been the case since I was very young. I love to create but the act takes on a different meaning for me when it's a gift. Truth be told, I kind of figured this out awhile ago but, for whatever reason that class really drove the point home for me.
So I've come to the conclusion that making gifts for people is my purpose which would mean...
I'm Santa Claus.