Analysis - Constructive Therapy

I want to buy a Lego set.

No joke. A Lego set. Or Meccano, or K’Nex, provided they still make those. And not some highly specialized Star Wars ship or Lord of the Rings set piece kit, but one of those huge buckets most of you reading had as a kid, with God knows how many pieces, all of which presented choking hazards.

I want to build, to construct. Heck, it could be anything: making a wooden box, baking a batch of sugar cookies (as yours truly just did), or even making a drink at the Starbucks where I work. Lego is just the most reusable option available, and there’s no risk of burning myself or cutting off all my fingers on one hand. But I’ve somehow forgotten the joy of starting a physical project, no matter how big or small, and following it through to the bitter end, whether or not if it ends as ideally as hoped or with scalding steaming milk spraying everywhere (sometimes cappuccinos fail).

Now I remember, and I miss the feeling of using my hands for something other than typing, writing or holding an Xbox controller. I’ve gotten back into the game gradually, starting by making a couple batches of cookies, then trying my hand at pan-frying hamburgers to perfection. But I’m not sated. I want to use tools. I want to melt solder, either for the purposes of crafting circuit boards as I did during one of my favourite summer jobs, or for melting it into a blob like the reforming T-1000 from Terminator 2… which I also did during that summer job. Frequently.

DUN-DUN-DUN-DU-DUN, DUN-DUN-DUN-DU-DUN

Writing is enjoyable, and a wonderful outlet, but I’m also fairly impatient so any pleasure I derive from the process might not occur until I reflect on the piece or hear positive feedback from someone else. With the act of physically constructing something, there’s a much greater occurrence of instant gratification. I probably sound childish writing that, but it’s the truth of the matter.

So here I am, age 24 and looking to buy a big-ass box of Lego. Immature? Perhaps. But it’s a much cheaper alternative to woodworking. And if nothing else it’ll help me get pumped up for that awesome looking Lego movie coming out next year.