The Man In The Mirror

I’m not sure where my copy of that book is but I know why it came to mind. Spending time presenting yourself to the world requires a lot of introspection. Only after making a sober assessment of who I am can the improvement designs begin.

Last year I took on a project in my backyard that had been waiting for over 7 years. I have an 8 year old so the time line can stand there and tell me stuff whether I want to listen or not. One year is a long time to procrastinate. Every cell in my body had been replaced from the time the addition on my house was completed, until I finally built my patio.

I went at it like a fiend. First I layered shale from the yard and covered that over with dirt. Then the patio sand and finally the paving stones. My body ached from digging and lifting for 9 or 10 hours a day.

This is where I would post a picture but I don’t have one and it’s dark outside.

When the entire project was finished I moved to the front yard. Here I was rebuilding free standing walls, chipping the shale bank from the top of my driveway and repairing my deck. Those projects had been waiting over 10 years.

With the deck leveled, the walls in good shape, and a storage area wrapped with T111 under the deck painted to match the side of the house I noticed the ground work in front of it looked awful. So I pulled the weeds from the existing shrubs and wrapped the ground around them with weed block. Covered with patio sand and natural flat sandstone I completed the best looking landscaping project of my life. I should have done it 17 years ago.

When I look at the man in the mirror the last thing I see is someone who is lazy. I see a creative individual with style and flare. Someone who welcomes a challenge. I also see someone who walked away from a network marketing opportunity 32 years ago.

I’m working on it.