Oh, To Be Like Steve

I have a cousin who is a very accomplished carpenter. In fact I'd call him a master craftsman. You would be amazed at the quality of his work. More amazing to me than that is the speed and efficiency with which he builds things.

One year I went to visit his folks at their cabin in Wyoming. Steve was adding a large family room to the cabin. I was amazed at the orderliness of the project. There seemed to be no extra stuff, just what he needed and no more. Everything was immaculate. The sawdust and scraps were constantly cleaned up. It was surreal to be in such an organized, tidy construction zone.

I on the other hand am much the opposite. I recently completed a project which I had to build out of doors. The construction site was chaos! Scraps here, tools everywhere, sawdust on everything. I'm certain it took me longer to build a rabbit hutch than it took Steve to add a large room to a house! What I've described represents Steve in every aspect of his life. What I've described represents me in every aspect of my life. Everything Steve does is orderly, tidy, well planned and masterfully done. By comparison, my life is shoddy, sloppy, and flown by the seat of my pants. Steve gets things done. I'm never finished with anything.

We were both trained to be as we are. We both have a nature to be as we are. I spent most of the day yesterday, cleaning up after my project. Whenever, I do something like this, I always admiringly think of Steve. I like myself well enough, but I'd sure like to be more like Steve.