General – Page 6

Dream Job: Check

Between climbing around the attics of newly built homes applying mastic to ductwork and performing blower door tests, and touring the warehouse of one exceptionally organized, design and environmentally conscious swedish furniture maker, I have not had time to write. But that is OK, because I have landed what is – today- my dream job.

It all started months ago, and if anyone is really keeping track besides me, it began when my friend Matt and I commiserated about the incompetence of our then employer a couple of years ago. He and I both parted ways with that employer, but thanks to a recent introduction he made for me, I now work for a conscientious and cool alternative energy provider. This type of entity is NOT an easy one to come by in these parts, and it was not even three years ago when my former employer looked at me like I had two heads when I mentioned differentiating ourselves from the rest of the market by implementing some green design. Apparently, the word “green” threw him.

Since last week, so many strange things have come full circle, reminding me that the universe works in complete and perfect ways. Like the first client I did a energy efficiency upgrade for last week. I know him. Met him last month at a campaign drive. And that former employer? Well, he just called our company because he wants to get their existing inventory “certified green.” The list goes on, but the story is the same. Do what you love, and the circles start to close. Then, you are inside of the circle, instead of trying to figure out how to jump into it from the outside.

And THIS story would not be complete unless I told you about solar Bill. He is the person that I work with in this market. He is my teacher, my mentor. He is an engineer, a former oceanographer, a hunter, a maker of musical instruments, a leader of kids’ and their science projects; he is better than MacGyver when it comes to his ability to re-purpose items to create astounding workable solutions, and he is humble and mellow and old-school and conscientious. They don’t make them like this anymore, and I could not have asked for a better person to show me the ropes and work with every day.

And as for the company, well, they are committed to solar, wind, and micro-hydro energy and in helping people get their homes to be more energy efficient. And they are smart, wonderful folk.

So here’s to landing a gig that has purpose, is fulfilling on many levels, and hopefully helps to make the world a better place while we earn our keep. My glass is held high. Cheers.

Life’s Path

Three years ago yesterday marks the anniversary of my move from Chicago to the Lowcountry, to join my other half who had arrived here two weeks earlier to start his new job.

Since then, our lives have changed considerably. Sometimes for the best, and sometimes not. We left many of our friends and moved to a place where we find it incredibly difficult to make new ones. We miss the music, the architecture, the social fabric, the walkability, and the culture, to name but a few voids we experience here. And while the culture (less) here doesn’t necessarily jive with our flow, it has taught me to be more tolerant and has really tested my belief in compassion and my ability to practice the idea that we are all one. Believe me, while this is fairly simple in theory, moving to a place that predominantly holds the opposite political and social viewpoints as you truly puts you to the test. And I can’t say I am succeeding yet, but I try.

On the flip side, we own a beautiful home that is our sanctuary and have built a life together, where we rely heavily on each other for friendship, companionship, love, understanding, humor, food, entertainment…uh, you get the idea. We basically rely on each other for EVERYTHING. The great part in that is that we have come to understand completely that we are absolutely made for each other, and that we are so damn lucky to have found one another.

In our work, we have excelled, both having reached goals and aspirations that may have taken us much longer to do so in a bigger city. It’s the big fish, small pond thing. And so far, it is working really well for both of us.

A couple of weekends ago, we walked the beach where the ocean is, and it took us 15 minutes to drive there. It was 70 degrees, crystal clear, sunny, and we saw dolphins. In January. Not bad.

It is calm and serene in our day to day lives, and we don’t expend too much energy commuting to work or doing errands. There are lots of wide open spaces, and it is green and lush and spanish moss hangs from the arms of their 200 year old lady hostesses, the live oak trees. We see blue heron, egrets, storks, and other crazy water birds every day. And ‘gators, too, in the spring and summer, and sometimes even in the fall and winter, on unusually warm days. The air is clean but thick in the summer, like bags of dew worn as scarves; sometimes heavy, but cleansing like a steam bath is. The BBQ is good, and makes up for the frustrations in other areas of pubic life here. The BBQ is REALLY good.

And while we may not call it home permanently, we call it home now. It’s where we hang our hats, live our lives, and look to the future. A future I can only hope holds as many gifts as the present. Life is good.

Milestones in Bedding

I used to think that only women like my grandma, a tidy Clevelander from a certain generation, made their beds every morning. But now, I find myself drawn to making my bed every morning. I’m not sure if this is a mark of my quickly approaching 40’s or just something new that I quite like, but it is a process, people.

This is no “throw the comforter over the top of messy sheets and make it look like it’s made” kinda bed-making, but an actual deconstruction and rebuilding exercise. I find it satisfying to both my sense of design and tendencies towards organization. I used to think it was a waste of time, as I was just going to mess it up every night, but I find that I like getting into a truly made bed. I am getting old, aren’t I?

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