Response to Unk

Grumpyunk, who just happens to be one of my brothers, left a comment on my last post that got me thinking. So this is a response to him but also food for thought. First of all, both of us are getting older, so neither one of us are perhaps physically capable of doing as much as we once did, particularly in the high heat and humidity. I know both of us have plenty of experience working in the heat, starting with baling hay and continuing with foundry and welding jobs for me and construction jobs for him. So we've both paid our dues. Now we both have the luxury of working in the cool hours of the morning or late afternoons doing for the most part what it is that we want to do. I get up and run and sweat like a pig. He heads out to the garden and does the same. It's good for us from both a physical and mental standpoint. We're both in a real good place in our lives, even if his AC did quit.

In my case, however, I feel compelled to do something every summer simply because I have the time. When I worked at De La Garza, we had a little lunch room and when school started back up, everyone would sit around discussing what they did during their summer break. You'd hear things like "I played some golf and worked around the yard" or "I didn't have any money so I just stayed home". I always thought, what the f**k's wrong with you people? You have 2-1/2 months of vacation time while the average working stiff is lucky to have 2 weeks. Plus teachers get 2 weeks at Christmas and another week in the spring, plus paid holidays for Thanksgiving, etc. The best you could come up with is play a little golf or sit on your ass because you were broke?

I understand the being broke part. When I first started teaching, I too was broke. I solved that by getting a summer job. It was pretty easy to do back then, it would definitely be tougher now. By working summers I had enough money to do other things later on. Plus, I was building my skills as a craftsman by working in a variety of shops during those summers. Gaining money and skills, a definite win - win. After a few years, I was able to skip the summer job and do quite a bit of traveling with my son. Some of the best years of my life. We took a couple of trips in the old Ford van that I'll always remember. So whether I worked or I traveled, I always had something to tell the rest of the group when asked what I did over summer vacation.

I still feel compelled to do something over summer vacation. I had a good trip on the bicycle. For many people that would be the experience of a lifetime. It's almost a regular thing with me. However, it's almost as if I'm compelled to do this. It's like I'm taking a vacation for all the poor bastards of the world who can't. Just ask yourself (or someone who is not a teacher) what you would do if you had 2-1/2 months of vacation. I talked to my cousin the other day, and after telling him I was going nuts laying around for two weeks due to illness, he said that would be like Mecca to him. Two weeks with nothing to do - pure heaven. I'm sure that's true, the dude works a lot of hours at a job that is very physically demanding.

So there's the long and the short of summer vacations from Shop Teacher Bob's vantage point. All the little crap needs to get done and a little down time is good. By the end of the summer I still need to have something to point to besides playing a little golf and working in the yard. On reflection, it's a rather strange compulsion. To compound the need, I had a serious accident once and as a result of that I really appreciate being able to travel and do things - just being ambulatory, in fact. I'd hate to waste my second chance.

I must now go forth and have fun or build something.