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One Journey Through
A World of Stories
"We must be willing to get rid of the life we've planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us."
- Joseph Campbell
The Next Chapter
Has Arrived
The last few years, coming back to my parents house in Northern Virginia always felt like limbo - a time between two periods of school, a break in the academic and social hullaballoo that was my Colgate experience. However, I spent the past 3 weeks here in NOVA, and it didn't feel like limbo; for the first time in a long time, it just felt like being home and living life.
After graduation, I reached out to my neighbors and let them know that I was in town and poor, looking for any kind of work. I am SO BLESSED to live in a place surrounded by so many people willing to take a chance on some kid with no legitimate carpentry or masonry skills, and yet commit to hiring them to build you a patio, or shed, etc. Over the last 3 weeks I have built patios, dug holes, weeded, mulched, chauffered, dog sat, house sat, farmed, watered, troubleshooted, and more. It has been AWESOME!
I loved the work that I have been doing for so many reasons.
1) The work is done in a mutually beneficial way, so that my neighbors get something useful out of my youthful talents and also support me in a monetary sense, which my neighbors have more often than youth ; ) It just feels good to know that everyone is winning in the work you are doing,
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2) I have been working outside, with my hands, in a self-directed and rarely repetitive manner. For the last 3 weeks, I have been my own boss. I decide my hours, my clients, the jobs I undertake, and how I go about them. In the sun I sweat, and my arms are tired from the raking, and it all makes the cool night air sweeter.
I have loved the work of the last few weeks because of how personal it is. Most people that have a job for me, have some idea of what they want, but often I would end up assisting them in designing, planning, or visualizing what they actually hope to achieve. I have really starter to feel like a counselor, consultant, friend, and confidant, all before I would call myself a laborer.
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From building the patio I learned that 5 minutes spent in planning can easily save 50 later on. I also learned how much the untrained mind will gloss over and simplify the logistics of a job (ie where does the lumber, gravel, sand, and pavers come from? And how do I get it to my neighbor's back yard?"
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From regularly spending most of the day with a dog for the first time in my life, I saw how much people can learn from dogs. Dogs are content with the most simple things: chasing a ball and bringing it back, sitting in the shade, watching squirrels, meeting people, etc. Dogs are quick to trust and love, and because of that, they recieve and share SO MUCH LOVE. I also noticed how much importance dogs place on human interaction and relationships. Dogs realize that being loved, cuddling, touching and playing with people are the most important things.
So now my time at home is at an end. Tomorrow I pack my life once more into the back of a car, and hit the road!
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And oh, how sweet and ripe it feels! Overdue, my dreams are finally coming true...
Yet it still doesn't feel quite real!
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