Update to my apathetic outlook on life...

I’ve started some home projects within the past week. Nothing big, just an outdoor shelf to put plants on, indoor bookshelf, etc. They are very spartan, but seem to be sturdy and get the job done. I feel a greater sense of accomplishment completing these tasks than I would at the job I get paid to do. It’s amazing how therapeutic building something from scratch can be.

Furthermore, I live in my grandfather’s old house. He was a geologist and a carpenter. He was extremely smart, and the garage is loaded with old tools, boards, hardware, you name it. I’ve found plaques he engraved, old handwritten instructions to things he built for local churches and businesses.

I also found a series of papers that he coined as his own, unauthorized biography. I knew he was a well-accomplished man, but I didn’t know to what extent.

I’ve read through some of these papers, and he explains how he damn near rebuilt his own house (the one I currently live in) after it was severely damaged from Hurricane Celia.

In World War II, he was sent to train in Mesa, AZ where he received his wings for the US Air Force AND the Royal Air Force of Great Britain.

He flew over The Hump from India to China during his military stint. While that was dangerous enough, these planes were cargo planes and thus, unarmed.

I can’t help but think this has shifted my perspective a bit on life.