Right, someone asked me about Hawaiian wrestlers the other day, or maybe I saw a picture somewhere, can’t recall exactly. Big fellas, yeah? Looked real powerful, rooted to the ground sort of strong. It got me thinking, not really about the wrestling itself, but about that feeling of facing something huge and immovable.
It kinda reminded me of this one time, years back, when I decided I was gonna build this massive bookshelf. Not one of those dinky ones you buy flat-packed. No, I mean a proper, floor-to-ceiling, solid wood beast. Seemed like a good idea at the time.
Getting Started
So, first thing, I went out and bought the wood. Lots of it. Oak. Heavy stuff. Cost a pretty penny too. Got it delivered and it just sat there in the garage, this huge pile of potential. Looked simple enough on paper, you know, a few uprights, lots of shelves.
Then I actually started measuring. And cutting. My god, the cutting. That oak was tougher than I thought. My saw was whining like a kicked dog. Took me a whole weekend just to get the main pieces roughed out. Dust everywhere. My hands were sore, got a blister or two.
The Middle Bit – The Real Wrestle
Okay, cutting was bad, but putting it together? That was the real fight. This thing was heavy. Trying to lift the sides while holding a shelf in place, juggling screws and a drill… it felt like trying to wrestle a bear. A very angular, awkward bear.
- I’d get one side up, the other would wobble.
- I’d try to slide a shelf in, it’d jam.
- I dropped a piece on my foot. That smarted.
It felt completely overwhelming. Standing there in the garage, sweating, surrounded by bits of wood, I seriously thought about just chopping it all up for firewood. It felt like that pile of wood was mocking me, you know? Like one of those big wrestlers just standing there, impossible to move.
Pushing Through
But I’d spent the money, and more than that, I’d told people I was doing it. Bit of pride involved, I guess. So, I took a break. Had a cup of tea. Came back the next day with a new plan. Decided to assemble it lying down first, then try to stand it up. Still hard, needed help from a neighbor just to tilt the main frame upright without it crashing down.
Took me another week of evenings, drilling, screwing, sanding, varnishing. Step by step. Felt less like wrestling and more like just chipping away at a big rock.
Eventually, it was done. Standing there, solid as anything. Filled it up with books. Looks great, actually. But man, whenever I look at it, I don’t just see a bookshelf. I remember that feeling of being totally outmatched, like facing one of those huge Hawaiian wrestler fellas, and just having to grind it out.