Hereās a glimpse for you. Ā Dang olā eighteen-year-old Scout and her beloved carpentry instructor. Ā We are in front of the first house I worked on, part of my vocational training program. Ā Iāve carried this manās influence with me on a medley of job sites, over the equator, through various personal paradigmĀ shiftsā¦
Ā I had a fuckinā nose hoop in those days.
Iāll think about how if I would have gone through that program when I was a high school student when I was a little more abrasiveĀ around authority and all itās grotesquely narrow and conservative presentations in my bible belt strapped ecosystem⦠I will consider how there would have been a time I wouldnāt have been open to truly learning from that man. Ā There was plenty we didnāt have in common. But I was eighteen, and freshly back from WWOOFing in Maui and decisively not pledging to a university after years of grooming and previous expectations. Ā Trades school became more appealing than anything else, and I qualified for grant funding. I was late enrolling, the film and video production spots were all booked up so I decided the construction course wouldnāt be a bad default. Ā Thatās all there was to it. Ā I was gonna give it a try.
āyou know, you ask more questions than any of my other studentsā heād say in a theatricallyĀ exasperatedĀ fashion, can of dip in his denim, cap on his head. Ā I would bounce around and grin and say howĀ āGeez thatās gotta be the sweetest thing youāve ever said to me!ā Iād bring bottles of kombucha to class and heād ask if that was my hippie tea again, and I would onlyĀ accidentallyĀ bump them off of scaffolding to shatter on the job site slab once or so -instances when his eye rolls could rival my younger sisters. He modeled support, getting me an extension cleared with the school so that over spring break I could spend more time atĀ Cal Earth ⦠while also referring to me as either aĀ ātree huggerā orĀ āprincessā. He was integral in linking me up with my current employer -whom I couldnāt be more satisfied working for. Ā The former instructor has been integral in more than that of course, all enabled by our mutualĀ gameness to be open. Ā To show up and learn from each other. Ā The stark contrast of our general makeup makes it entertainingĀ to have the bond that we do. Ā Heās a figure I value immensely. Ā Our rapport is one of the greatest reminders I have to be willing to go for knowledge over ego and presumptionsĀ about compatibility. In conclusion. Ā He looks sorta like Kenny Powers and so does the guy that leads the no gi jiu jitsuĀ class Iāve been going to recently, first time pursuing martial arts in the midwest, and Iām likeĀ āOkay, Oklahoma. Ā I get it, gurus really come in all types.ā











