Hard Work / Update on house sale

We had our home inspection, and overall it wasn't as bad as it could have been; you never know what a trained eye will find. We have to replace the roof over our porch, which in the grand scheme of things isn't that bad. Some other minor things came up, like some junction boxes not having covers on them. Overall I'm happy with the outcome, and I look forward to completing the projects so that we can all sign the dotted line and move on to the next house.

I honestly didn't think I'd be saying that so soon in my life; this is the second house we've sold and the first where we will make a profit that allows us to do a major remodel on the next one. I'll end up doing a lot of the work myself, but I'll also be able to sub out some of the more daunting projects. And, of course, I can finally afford my fishing kayak. Excited doesn't even cover it.

None of this would be possible without hard work, and not just ours. My girlfriend's parents have helped us out so much, and without their help we wouldn't be able to take this big step forward. I came to an important realization fairly late in life, and that is that hard work really will get you places. My parents were not good role models, and they didn't ever take the time to actually teach me anything about life. We fought constantly, I left, and had to grow up on my own. It didn't work out so well.

I was, and I hate to say this, lazy. Even after having been in the Marine Corps I just didn't have the desire to get up and do much. I worked at restaurants, came home tired, and just hung out around the house. I don't know if I was, or still am, suffering from depression, but since meeting Cassie I have gotten a little more driven everyday to the point that I would do anything to see her happy and moving up in the world. I'm still a little lazy, but I would like to think I've tempered that with a strong work ethic when there is a project that needs doing.

Tackling progressively larger projects around the house (like building a privacy fence around our backyard in 2 days) let me see the value of hard work with visible results. It's easy to tell people to work hard to better their life, but until they can see the fruits of their labor it will be lost on them. Blacksmithing helped as well, in that you could swing a hammer for hours, spend another five hours sanding and polishing, and then go inside past your usual bedtime with a nearly finished knife. It was hard, sweaty, dirty, and one of the most rewarding activities I have ever experienced. It helped to enforce the ideals of hard work that had been growing, and the product of that hard work could be held in my hands.

If there are any parents out there, and you are trying to teach your child about hard work then I strongly encourage trying something with them that will have a visible and tactile outcome. We all come to different realizations at different times in our life, and something that is plainly obvious to you won't become obvious to someone else without it being their time to truly understand it. We can help others along, guide them, but we can never teach realizations. Take a up a hobby, something that gets you sweating and swearing and busting your knuckles.

Work on a car together, set a fence, heat and beat some metal - just do it together, and don't get preachy. I can assure you, no matter the outcome of the project, simply doing something like that together can bond you with your child and maybe help them come to the realization that hard work can move you forward in life even if it seems like it isn't.