This past couple of months has seen me and Tarra (my partner and spouse) creating a new back deck. When we bought the house a few years ago we knew that the existing deck was not long for this world as it had not been well constructed or maintained. The old deck served us for 3 years. We spent many summer evenings eating dinner on it, bar-b-queuing all year round, having breakfast on the weekends when the weather allowed. However the thought that this deck might fall apart at any moment kept me focused on replacing it with something that would serve us better.
Like an athlete preparing for the Olympics I spent 3 years designing and re-designing a new deck. I came up with ideas, threw ideas away and came to new ideas. I researched and planned for the construction of the deck, looked at building supplies and solutions, and did my very best to be as prepared as I could. I wanted to be ready to go when the opportunity came. Finally we came to the place where we could financially afford a new deck and my excitement rose. This summer was going to be the summer that I took on a large scale construction and showed my skills and what I was made of. I finalized my plans, shopped around for where I would buy my lumber and supplies and did the final prep for the main event.
Finally the beginning of the project arrived. The destruction of the old deck. I had many friends come over and help tear it apart and we all had a good time doing it. After a ‘lengthy’ day of shovels, sledge hammers and chainsaws we got it done! I had a huge open space in my yard and it was begging to be filled with a new Deck. Little did I know that this was just beginning and the road was about to get very rough.
At the start of this project I was full of excitement and wanted to get started on building stuff, but that quickly faded as I came face to face with some of the toughest challenges I have ever had. It was working through these ‘challenges’ or opportunities where I found the greatest rewards in creating a big deck. Here are eleven things that I learned through building a new deck.
- The challenge that is in front of you is there for a reason
- I should listen to what I say
- Creating a new foundation is sometimes necessary and can be scary as hell
- Having a Wellness Team is probably more of a necessity than it is a luxury
- Learn how to ask for help and accept it in the form that it arrives in
- Just because the results are not plainly visible does not mean that a lot of important work hasn’t been accomplished
- If it’s no longer fun you should take a break
- Think about the materials you are using/going to use when making measurements
- Just because you can do it your self doesn’t mean you have to and just because you can hire someone else to do it doesn’t mean you should.
- Are we humans or ugly bags of mostly water
- A change is as good as a holiday…are you sure?
Over the next while I will be writing in detail about these items. I will talk about the experiences I had which brought these opportunities/challenges to light, how I felt about them when I was in it and where I am with them now.
Walk in Peace,
Warrior Jevon: In-Service
