sparkignitefire

Did not see it coming.

I am a building being remodelled. By all means it would have been nice to have everything at my disposal to move out to a nice apt by the lake and gut the building completely….to the brick and start fresh. Believe me, there is not one thing I would change…..not one moment. It has taken longer, a lot of dust, inconvenience, expensive changes, and some work stoppages. It’s okay. It’s okay.

Replacing joists and beams is challenging in the best of times, when you are inhabiting the space, it becomes precarious. It has to be done, the old ones would not be able to carry the load of all the new fangled appliances, floors, tile, furniture, fixtures. The electrical had to come up to code and there are a lot of dedicated runs that need their own spaces in the box. Watch out Lindsay Wagner, there is a new game in town.

The work has been gradual. Coming to the realization that it has to be done or eventually the bath-tub is going to fall through the floor.

I had to move at my pace. The approach has been very different this time. All my tools in the bag were not quite the right fit. Nothing seemed to cut, drill or measure the same way it did before. It was time for a whole new set and these, I knew, would be lifers. I just had no idea where to start, how to start, if I was on the right path and if what I was doing was even working. What I knew for sure, if I had enough data I could start to see a pattern. So data collection began. Four years of data. Seems like a long time, a sizable amount -1/10 of my life. Today, it is seen as a gathering for a PHD. I will be defending it soon.

‘Know thyself”

Very early on, the realization that every person had a different set of skills, totally different that mine. Recognizing these special skills in a person is paramount. Some people put on their skills like a well made suit. It fits perfectly and drapes divinely. They know what they are good at. This can be hard-won, through countless hours of head/heart work, trying a lot of different things and finding which on makes a groove worthy of your time and love. Tools to guide you to what may work best. Gather data. This might come in the form of a personality test: MMPI, Briggs Meyers, Keirsey….or in coaching, talking….collecting data.

So my collecting continues….moving towards the perfect practice.