Free Fall Revelations

Today I was at the top of a ladder. Normally this might not be such a dangerous endeavor but my skills with the ladder are lacking. I can prove this to you if you want with some photos of my ladder nearly perpendicular to the ground as I worked upon it. I think I knew how to use a ladder at one point in my life.

I was sitting at the top of the ladder extremely terrified trying to bang some nails in to fix some woodpecker damage. It was a little hard to do as my left fist was clutching the ladder until my knuckles became white. Holding the nail and hammering it in with one hand is a skill I have not developed yet. I kept thinking why am I doing this? Why don't I just hire some guy to do it? It is going to end up fucked up anyways and I will probably hire someone to finish it. What am I doing on top of this ladder?

It came to me. On top of that ladder I had a revelation. Praise Home Depot. I am doing this because I can. I owe it to my family. To my friends. To myself. I have been sitting on the bench for the past few years watching other people play the game. Wishing the coach would send me in. Now I am out there. I am on the field. Fighting for my life. Not on the sidelines wondering why we are losing.

The things I am doing may or may not be extremely productive. It may be cheaper, safer, and better to get someone else to do these things and focus on "more important" things. Except it is not. The doing is the important thing. The fact I am out there. I can get up. I can run. I can do something. I may not make a difference. We may still be losing 100-7. Just being out there makes a difference for me though. It makes a difference for my family and my friends and even for you fucktards waiting for the train to burst into flames, because lets be honest, it derailed a long time ago.

So I straightened up my back. Took my left hand off the ladder and I pounded those nails in. I finished the job. It was a job outside my comfort zone. It was a job done as well as I could do it. I did it for Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of happiness. I did it for my family. I did it for me and I am going to keep doing it.