bad wood?

i am beginning to believe that some pieces of wood have some negative energy stored in them and no matter how hard i try, i just can't coax anything out of them.

while some pieces have something beautiful inside that i just have to find and bring to the surface, some are just dead inside, or resistant and refuse to let themselves shine.

this piece pictured here, which i just whitewashed again, has been particularly difficult. perhaps it's the dimensions - i generally prefer longer, narrower substrates. maybe i will cut it in half and see if that helps. if not, i guess it's gonna go back in the trash where i found it...