It's true I could no longer do the construction work and pool cleaning jobs that I used to do, but that’s not why I started making wood projects. After my accident, I spent almost a year in the hospital and another half a year in a wheelchair. I had broken my pelvis, which was fixed with five screws holding it together, and also crushed my T12 vertebrae to dust, which was repaired through a back fusion operation.
Between my pelvis operation and my back fusion, due to the fact that I had collapsed one of my lungs during the accident, they cut me through the side of my body instead of cutting me through the back — resulting in a total of 65 staples, not stitches but big, ugly, giant staples. I looked like a human zipper. Anyways, that’s a story for another time. This is a story of a little wooden paper towel holder. It was during this process of healing — after being broken and put back together — that I started noticing old, broken, and discarded pieces of wood. I remember thinking, if I could be put back together and fixed, surely I could repurpose some of this wood.
The first thing I made while still going to physical therapy and learning to walk again was a paper towel holder, which I kept hearing my mother say she needed. I made it out of a broken piece of bed frame. I took out the staples and nails, cut out the pieces that I needed, and gave it new life. I left the staple scars visible and painted it with a warm walnut stain and a glossy finish to match the table and chairs I had. I thought it was the most beautiful wooden paper towel holder — even though you could still see the staple scars and nail holes. I was very proud of my little creation.
I wasn’t trying to make the best paper towel holder in the world. I was simply trying to give this piece of broken bed frame another chance at life. Maybe that sounds strange, but after what I had been through, I understood what it meant to be broken and rebuilt. Perhaps that’s why I felt such a strong connection to that old piece of wood — I wanted it to feel useful again, just like I did.
Now, ten years and many wood projects later, I still feel a connection with that little paper towel holder. Every time I look at it, I see myself — with its staple scars, its repaired pieces, and its second chance at life. Repurposed and reborn, it reminds me of resilience, patience, and the beauty of giving something broken a purpose again. It has brought me peace and joy. I know that sounds corny, but it’s true — and I’ve been building things with as much refurbished wood as I can find ever since.