At present I am in Boquete, Republic of Panama.  While Panama has a coast on the Pacific Ocean and another on the Carribean, running through the center of the country is a volcanic activity-formed mountain range.  Boquete is in those mountains close to the Costa Rican border.

Like many third-world countries, Panama has some wealthy citizens and many in disturbing poverty.  There appears to be a growing middle class, but it is the smallest of the socioeconomic groups there. Take a good look at the picture above.

This is a picture of a board that I happened to notice today.  It looks for all the world like a 2″ x 2″ board that you can buy at Home Depot.  It would make an excellent baluster in a railing on the porch of a home.  Take another look … a closer look.  Do you see anything unusual about this board?  Did you notice the swirls in the wood?  Wonder how those came to be there?

This board was made by a craftsman in Boquete, Panama.  Well, I call him a craftsman even though I’ve never met him, but he would call himself a man that works for a tree service.  You know, the crews that one hires to cut down and haul off trees that pose a risk to property under their canopies?  That’s where this board came from … a tree was cut down and not wanting to waste or miss the opportunity, a tree service worker used a chain saw and made this board from a fallen tree and many other boards, too.  Think about the difficulty factor here, he used a chain saw to make a board from a raw tree.  Here’s a guy holding a chain saw:

Looks kind of bulky right?  Certainly it doesn’t have any guides and laser beams to assist in making straight cuts 10 feet long … in the trunk of a fallen tree.  Are you amazed yet?  How long do you think he had to stick with it to learn to make boards like this one?  The answer is:  Long Enough.

Here’s the thing.  We all have heard the old saying:  If life gives you lemons, make lemonade   Clever, yes.  It paints the picture of “Nothing can hold me down”, right?   Well, I’ve made lemonade.  Here’s the recipe:  Take a few lemons, squeeze the juice out of them into a pitcher and fill with water, add sugar, stir.  Please get this.  Life doesn’t give you three step recipes, that when followed, fix you right up!

Sometimes, you’ll get a “tree”, or perhaps you’ll have to find your own resource.  Regardless, you are fantastic and you can succeed no matter what.   Remember, if you don’t quit, you can’t fail!