Do you hear that?
Picture this, I’m in my office (in our basement) with the window slightly cracked for a little fresh air. It’s in the 80’s just before noon. As you might expect it’s another humid day in Ohio. Off in the distance I hear a “thud”. Ten seconds go by and I hear another “thud”. This happens a few more times so I decide to go check it out. (I’ll tell you more about the thud vs. a “crack” in my next post)
There in the backyard behind the row of arborvitae’s was my oldest son Grant, dripping with sweat with work gloves on. We had asked him earlier, since the job market hasn’t panned out, to start splitting wood in the backyard. There’s no shortage of wood and all we needed to buy was a $30 maul (it’s an ax with a sledge hammer on the back of it). You see, sitting around the fire-pit is something that we all enjoy.
I’m guessing that Grant got out of bed at about 11:00 that morning and just put on some work clothes and headed outside. There were no reminders, no list on the counter and no nagging. He just went and did it. This is big.
I walked up to him and asked, “how’s it going?”. He said “good”. We still only get one-word answers, but this time he went on to tell me about this log and that log and his ax. As I read what I’ve just written, this seems to be trivial. I can honestly tell you that it’s not.
This is the summer before Grant goes to the University of Cincinnati in the School of Architecture. He’s going to be on his own most of the time. It’s up to him to continue to make good decisions. Him taking the initiative to pick up the ax (maul) without “encouragement” is a big deal. Sure his muscles are sore and he has more blisters than he ever has, but it feels good for both of us.
As he swung the ax another time, I asked him “isn’t this therapeutic? It’s just you and the wood and the ax”. He looked at me and smiled. That’s all I needed. Good job Grant. Thanks for picking up the ax.
The sound that I heard was my oldest son becoming a man. Way to go Wagner!
- UPDATE – The old and the new - July 18, 2023
- Rehab is work - April 14, 2023
- I lost my wallet - April 6, 2023
Brain,
I know what an AWESOME moment this was for you. Thank you for doing your best in being the role model for your son. You have done a fine job.
Toni, thanks for the note. I appreciate your support.