Volumes.

Volumes.

Share this post

Volumes.
Volumes.
Hard Days, Good Days

Hard Days, Good Days

A paid-subscribers' peek behind the scenes.

Feb 03, 2025
∙ Paid

Share this post

Volumes.
Volumes.
Hard Days, Good Days
Share

The memory of the morning described in this scene is one I hold onto with great fondness: preparing for a day of hard and honest work with a kind and complex man I’d just begun to think of as a friend; the sudden, sharp turn of the dying season as autumn transitioned to winter, which (as my only winter in manual labour) would be the coldest I’d experienced; the simple pleasure of watching a spider weaving its web, creating something of fine beauty and uncomplicated necessity.

I also wanted, in the context of this essay, to express something of the way that I sometimes wanted Mike’s approval. This is a deep-seated part of my psyche that has much to do with growing up in a working class community and never fitting in. As much as I now live the life I’ve always wanted to as a man of words, it seems that some part of me will always feel apologetic for not working with my hands, for dealing in abstractions rather than tangibles.

In the end, I cut the scene because the second half of it, abou…

Keep reading with a 7-day free trial

Subscribe to Volumes. to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.

Already a paid subscriber? Sign in
© 2025 Matthew Morgan
Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Start writingGet the app
Substack is the home for great culture

Share