Yesterday morning I departed on the drive to the farm with a head full of plans and a heart full of excitement. I wanted to install a new door and rim lock, replace a toilet, and maybe even install the 1,100 L water tank up the hill in back of the cabin. Nine hours later, I returned to Julia’s family home deflated and defeated having barely accomplished a mere door installation. Suffice to say, it wasn’t the greatest day.
After a night of rest and a day off from cabin work (we have driving restrictions which on Fridays which prevent my going to the farm), I am happy to report that I’m feeling much batter and have come to some positive and painfully obvious realizations.
- The only predictable aspect of our world is an approximate balance. For as many productive days and beautiful views as I come across, there are just as many futile endeavors and gray skies. Learn from the bad so that you may cherish the good.
- Progress isn’t linear. The journey from nothing to complete can’t be graphed with “y = mx + b”. I once had a brilliant teacher who told me to imagine progress as “gradually lifting a large cloth into the sky, pulling by only one point at a time”. As one area improves, others may fall stagnate or even regress. In the end, though, every bit of work you put in is towards an eventual result of elevation and improvement.
- This one’s a little more practical. Read the instructions. If a company provides specific directions for a product that they design and manufacture, they’re most likely accurate and necessary. If the installation manual for your rim lock gives you a method for determining the proper length of your torque bar, don’t go with a longer length because it “looks right”. Don’t ask me how I figured this one out…
Well, that’s about it for now. I’ll let you know when I finally do get those other projects done. Also when I get a new rim lock…
See ya.
Seems like wisdom to me. Self knowledge is key in this life adventure and some days are more productive than others. Yesterday I checked 5 tasks off my list, today only one. Suerte en todo, R
LikeLiked by 1 person
Exactly. And what do you know, I went up today and things went as smoothly as they ever have. Thanks for the comment 🙂
LikeLike
Happy New Year Cam! I have nominated you for an Outstanding Blogger Award. See the Fake Flamenco post with that title for more information. Hope your renovations continue to go well. Rebecca
LikeLiked by 1 person