While in high school, I was not a good student but I was a good athlete with natural abilities the coaches would tell me in football, basketball, baseball, and track & field; however, not good enough to receive athletic scholarships; so, I spent my senior year just having fun and enjoying what I could as I could with no cares about my future.
I attended a small college because I
felt more comfortable in those kinds of environments but those first
two years of classes as I floated about without a designated major
were not pointing me into any direction at all.
I was disillusioned about college and
was not happy which was exacerbated that I was attending what was
called a “suitcase” college (everybody except a handful left
every weekend) and spent many long weekends by myself wondering about
wondering what I was going to do.
After discussions with my parents, I
went to a larger university one weekend and spent 8 hours taking
tests that would point me in the right direction.
Towards the middle of the first
semester of my 3rd year, I was sent a letter and told to
make an appointment so my long awaited results could be presented to
me.
I really did not have any idea or
expectations about what I was going to hear although I heard the last
thing that I wanted to hear or so I thought that I was not college
material because I lacked the wide variety of interests to be there.
I should find a job outside using my
hands like a brick mason or a carpenter or a painter although mainly
painters worked inside nowadays, I thought to myself.
Once my only 2 friends heard the news
they said I should build brick out-houses and then paint them... it
was enormously funny to them but I was devastated and was so
depressed I just did not take any of my final exams at all and
decided I was not going back.
My parents were disappointed but said I
should find a job, so I looked and looked and looked and everytime I
sat down in the interview chair talking to the “fat” little man
on the other side of the desk explaining my situation, they would
always tell me, “ you need to get your military out of the way and
then I could possibly consider you since you have have some college.”
My depression worsened and out of
desperation, I joined the US Navy and was pleased when they accepted
me knowing I could finally tell my parents I had a job. They were
more anger than I had ever seen them because there had never been an
“enlisted man” in the history of the family until now.
I told them that I had requested a tour
in Vietnam so many if I died with dignity they would have something
to talk about at their bridge club.
I left the house and did not come back
for almost 10 years.
I got married, spent my time in the
military, returned to school and finished my BA degree, got a job and
then pursued a Masters degree before I finally decided to return
home. I was treated very much differently this time.
Throughout my 45 year management
career, I perfected my management skills and was able to climb up the
ladder in a variety of companies acquiring an ever increasing amount
of salary, power & control, and prestige.
I made enough money so that whenever
there were problems around the house, I would simply hire a plumber,
an electrician, a carpenter, and yes a brick mason. Boy, did I prove
that man and his tests wrong I would think to myself and smile
internally.
However, once I retired and needed
something fixed around the house I realized I had no “blue collar”
skills and found myself in another period of “funk.”
I could not fix a leak in the sink or
bathtub.
I could fix an electrical problem
unless it was simply changing the lightbulb which I knew with
confidence I could do without any issues at all.
I could not hang sheet rock... but, I
could paint... or so I thought. One weekend when we were painting
the living room, I noticed my wife was re-painting everything that I
had just painted with the roller.
I asked her about that and she said she
was just covering up some thin spots.
I knew that was not true and told her
so...
...which was a HUGE mistake and I was
no longer allowed to paint inside the house from that point on but I
could still paint outside... great, I thought... but then, soon
realized there was nothing outside to paint.
I have no blue collar skills so now I
have the blue collar blues... and no, I already thought about that
and it would not make a good country song.
This was strongly brought home to my
attention today as a matter of fact when I realized the faucet on the
kitchen sink is loose and I have no idea how to fix it... and, a
piece of molding fell down off our newly installed cabinets and I do
not have the right tool or piece of equipment that fires that tee
tiny nail into the wood,
My wife tells me that I should just try
and not say that I don't know how and in the process of trying I will
find a solution. Well, I tried that and made the situation worse
because I did not know what I was doing.
To make matters mentally worse on my
fragile mental state, I have watched several Utube 3-5 minute clips
of how to tighten a water faucet and they all make no sense to me
because where there should be more explanation there is none.
Plus, have you ever noticed that when
the star of the plumbing video is seen underneath the sink
tightening, there are never any pipes in his way, especially not like
my pipes. I cannot get my hand between the two sinks to the back,
nor can I get my arm under the pipes and up on the other side.
WOW... I thinking... at this point, I
am not even a good student.
Maybe I should have become a brick
mason after all...
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