I finally replaced my broken ax handle so that I could split some kindling for my stove in the shop. Working on that ax head reminded me of an analogy that I used in a speech delivered to a Toastmasters International group some twenty years ago. When you’re getting started, sometimes you pick up your ax and begin flailing at the wood, not bothering to check which end of the head you are using. After trying to cut wood with the blunt end, one day you realize that things would run a whole lot better if you would turn the head over. We’re never too old to discover the sharp end of the ax.
Thanks to Dr. Morgan McArthur DVM, a great friend who persisted in getting me into Toastmasters way back when and recommending so many great book titles to me. He is one of many who have helped me discover that the ax does have a sharp end.