Blue Collar Transition

Oh, i know when it happened, alright. But it's not like it was a single event or day or time... No. It happened over the last ten years. It started about a hundred and twenty-one months ago.

i lost my blue collar.

But i found it again! And it's wonderful! My hands are all cut up. i'm using my tools every day. My work clothes get dirty every day. Losing inches from all the places i needed to. Muscletone is coming back... i feel leaner and stronger and younger every day. Guess i wasn't so far over the hill, after all... ;-)

It hit me when i was hauling my tools to the van yesterday. In the middle of a downpour. Memories of doing the same thing so many times before... So long ago. And i was happy about it.

Not so much about being pissed on by God... No. It was the feeling of satisfaction that comes from working with my hands. Accomplishment. Tangible shit, man! Crafting something useful and beautiful has its rewards, let me tell you. And not just handburger, either.

Returning to grab another load of tools, getting wetter by the second, i thought about how great it has been to be doing projects for friends and family the last three months. (In my case, they are the same) i thought about how many types of things i have really done in that time... And they are many. 

Re-wiring significant portions of three old houses. Cabinetry. Super-custom framing. Plumbing. Deck repairs. Drywall. Plaster. Paint. Hardwood floors. Finish carpentry. And i've done them all with love and caring and precision.

i thought about how this period is a really awesome transition... From keyboard-banging and mouse-waving... To crawling into the dark and dusty corners of an attic. From staring at a computer screen for hours every day... To cutting holes in shit. Then putting it all back together. Only better than original. From wearing Uggs most of the day... To troweling on a finish coat. It has been quite reassuring to know that i "haven't lost it"... That i can still do all this with the best of them.

And, i'm overwhelmingly grateful that i have spent this transition time in this way. Preparing for life at Gilligan's Island North. Where my hands will be dirty with something every day. And my work clothes will be dirty most. The other days i may not be wearing any.

Thinking about all this confirmed that my destiny is - And always has been - A Blue Collar Retirement.