I've been lucky to grow up around two men who were able to put things together and learn what to do and how to do it. My father has always been very good at building things. He built a number of sheds (all still standing after all these years), greenhouses, and numerous toy boxes and footbeasts. He was a true wood butcher.
My father-in-law is the engineer. Electrical, mechanical, plumbing, devices, a way to rig up the impossible (or at least the pain in the butt) has always been his forte. I've watched (and learned) how to do a number of things because he has always been willing to give it a try. He is the one that always gets the call to come and fix something.
I never really had any terrible interest in fixing things or putting things together. I'm great at the concept. I can tell you what I want it to look like with no problem at all. I'm just not that great at getting it together. I've had great tutors (see above and add in my brother Kelly as well to that group) but I never really sat down to do anything on my own. I never thought it was all that important.
This summer I had a list of things I wanted to get done around the house. Some of them require me to learn new skills. Some of them are things that I will be able to use later on in life when the kids call and ask me to come and help them. I have begun to realize that there is likely to be a generation in the very near future that does not know how to do things around the house on their own. I can't be one of them.
Tomorrow my father-in-law is coming over to help me put up drywall in the garage. I've told him to help but to let me do it. I want him to look at the job I'm doing and criticize where needed and teach when necessary. I want to be able to take care of this issues on my own. I want to look at the light fixture in the front room and change it when I want, because I know I can.
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