Well…… every day is still a possible life changing experience with Linda and me, but things are actually a bit more settled since my last post.
Linda and I are currently in Baton Rouge with our RV. I’m working again, which is unfortunate and nice all at the same time… lol. It feels good to a man to bring home a paycheck no matter if your dead broke or nearing retirement. I believe one of the most unsettling things a man subconciously deals with when contemplating retirement, is laying down that finely honed sword he used all those years to bring home the proverbial bacon. It truly does feel like relinquishing a weapon in battle. I believe many men have that subconsious regret upon retiring but don’t recognize the uneasiness for what it really is. Maybe if men understood his subconsious saddle burrs better, he might dismiss them easier and do a better job of retiring. When my grandfather put down his sword…. I believe he never got comfortable again without it and that stole some of his joy. In short, I guess it’s nice to be making a paycheck again.
We are settled, as much as can be on a construction job. The vagabond lifestyle pays well, but the road gets old sometimes. My travelling band is currently at ExxonMobil Baton Rouge for quite possibly the rest of the year.. maybe more. Of course that could change with a phone call tomorrow. Those that know me can validate our free flowing lifestyle….. Some say their life is “fluid” meaning their life focus flows from place to place with relative ease. My life is probably better described as “gassious”……. If somebody opens the lid, things change almost instantly. Linda recently expressed a desire to be home more… to be less fluid. I understand that and feel the same… but I find it ironic that some of the biggest instant changes in my life came about while attempting to satisfying my wife. To this day I wince when Linda starts out a sentence in one of these two ways: “I’ve been running some numbers” or “Iv’e been thinking.. pause……….”
Sometimes when she says I’ve been running some numbers it can mean something good is ab out to happen… but the second sentence rarely turns out comfortable. I’m not complaining or talking out of school here….. it’s no secret I married a strong woman and I’m proud of it. The long and short of it is… change is seldom a good thing unless you thought of it. Read that again…. that’s an important concept to understand in life, I’ll restate it even stronger: “Change is never good unless it’s your idea”. I’m just saying…. It is probably wise to understand that you have a selling job to do on your spouse if you are the one with the life altering epiphany. Don’t expect them to jump in your lap instantly with adoring looks… even if the change in question is something your spouse might like. Maybe I should say it this way: Change is never “instantly” good unless it’s your idea. Linda and I are probably more amenable with change than most anybody you know, and yes, it would be good to live in one house for more than 3 weeks in a row.
Since I got off the boat I have taken on some projects at the lake house. I recently rebuilt some of the garage area. One of the storage areas outer wall had seen water incursion so I tore out two walls and the roof over them. I replaced everything from the concrete to the skyline with new wood and shingles. That job began with a simple deep cleaning of all the storage areas. I found some rot at the bottom of the walls so I removed the inner wall to look at it. What I found included a leak in the roof that seeped into two exterior walls. As I said it’s all new and freshly painted now. I enjoyed the project and may choose (given the time) to do some remodeling and expansion we have dreamed about for years. I have several scale drawings of what I’d do to the place given the time and/or money. We found out hiring a remodeler is more expensive than building a new house so if it gets done I’ll probably do it myself.
I think we are going to like Baton Rouge. We love the cajun culture, the great food and tall trees. The landscape is very similar to where we grew up. I didn’t think that meant much until we lived in Corpus for and extended time. Scrubby trees and stickers in the yard are not as inviting as listening to the wind as it blows through the tall trees that also provide a soothing shade and soft green grass. Here water isn’t a rare commodity, it’s a calming natural feature found often in our part East Texas. I like that.
Linda has reconnected with friends that moved here years ago, so we have an instant community. All in all life is good, as I said at the beginning, life is better these days now that I am successfully wielding my sword again, we are in a place we like…… and best of all we have friends around to share it with.
SYL Rusty