I’m fixing a hole where the rain gets in
and stops my mind from wandering
where it will go
I’m filling the cracks that ran though the door
and kept my mind from wandering
where it will go
– beatles

I spent my life around “manly” men.  You know, The rootin’ tootin’ deer shootin’, beer drinking, demolition-derby drivin’, football watchin,’ “pull my finger”,  average guy.  That meant I had all the many influences I needed to learn to hang a car engine from a tree branch or build a slanty tool shed with just a bit of old timber and a few nails.  There’s nothing wrong with being a craftsman or a mechanic mind you (And yes, I do watch football.), it’s more the half-assed, Red Green approach that I have an issue with.  (I’ve never understood some men’s obsession with flatulence either by the way.) Be that as it may, the guys in my childhood sphere never actually completed much of anything and if they did, it didn’t stand or run for very long anyway.  What’s that got to do with kayaking?

Well the thing is, I didn’t really learn much of anything from these “manly-men” other than to avoid all things “manly”.  Of course in time you grow up.  Somewhere along the way you do battle with all those conflicting influences and figure out how they will define your own life and character.  As for me I had an almost phobic reaction to all sports and “handymanisms”.  I realized as I got older however, that I couldn’t just sit around gaining weight while watching my house fall apart either. I was certainly never going to be rich enough to just “call somebody” every time we had a leaky faucet.

One bit of luck I got from childhood was a love of the outdoors.  I mean, that was the one place I felt at ease. As an adult I’ve always been a hiker.  About 8 years back now, through my work in tourism I had a chance to join a kayak guide on an upper Wisconsin Dells day trip.  (That guide by the way later shut down a business in Bayfield, WI., and absconded with all the cash right before a tour group showed up!!) I found I liked being on the water and soon bought a small kayak of my own.  Now this was “sport” I could relate to.  That was the beginning of my getting into coaching of course.  I’ve  also found I enjoy mountain biking and skiing as well. Where sports most interest me is where they can help me enjoy the natural world in new ways.  In a sense it’s hard to call kayaking or biking sports really. They are not the primary focus, they are simply the right transportation.  You cannot experience nature in some loud over-powered man toy.   You can only dominate and overwhelm it.  That’s just not my gig.

With sports under control I still had to marshal handymanism. That came in small bits.  Finding myself buying my first screwdriver.. and realizing that it felt strange! Seeing a shocking estimate to put in a floor, and having the sudden clarity to realize I could maybe do it myself… 5 or 10 years pass and now I have more tools than that home improvement guy on PBS!

I suppose that’s why when the weather cleared up and warm days returned I actually put  the kayaks away for a bit to deal with a rotting porch roof. Our little house has 2.  Both are goners.  They were never much to begin with actually.  Each is a large block of concrete stairs with a small leaning roof over top.  The roof was held up with round metal poles.  We never had “handrails” which really stands out in the winter or when grandma comes to visit.  But hey it’s a modest house and we own it.  No complaints here.  Still, the roofs were falling in. The wood was spungy, the shingles blowing off in the wind. They had to be addressed.  What’s different from the me of just a few short years ago is that I didn’t even think about getting a contractor in.  I just sat down with paper and pencil and started drawing and doing my estimates.  In two days the old roof was gone and the new one was up.  In addition I added new bracing and handrails to boot.  We also had to adjust our walking path a bit to meet the new layout.  Poof!  It’s done. Well, we have to paint it now and I’ll show you before and after pics once that’s done. Total cost? Under $200.00.  One down, one to go.

So what was today’s blog about?  Well, change.  We change over time don’t we?  It’s interesting if we can keep a grip on how we change through the years. It helps us understand not only ourselves but others as well. We realize that young people are simply in transition. That no one needs be “fixed” in ideas, prejudice, or dogmas. We also have a better concept of how to teach others by keeping our own learning experiences close, while at the same time realizing that everyone comes from a different set of influencing experiences.  On a more personal note, I thought about how to anyone driving by I just look like another “handyman” guy out there doing what we do and how strange that is as well. I think there is a “book-by-cover” lesson in there somewhere… Oh, and this post also shows you how lost in lala land Derrick’s head can get when doing something simple like fixing a hole in the porch roof.

Related Posts:

1. rabbit hole
2. down the rabbit hole