thoughts from a construction worker

With the coming of the new week (which is already over) saw a return to working my construction job. Back to building houses. Many, many thoughts come to mind when I think about this:

Part I: Routine

This word initially enters into my thoughts. Now. Let me preface this by acknowledging that, yes, we all have our routines. But…
But… some activities, more than others, accentuate these routines. And I don’t know that any activity I’ve ever participated in has accentuated a more particular routine than working a construction job. I think it’s simply that I’m more aware of my surroundings. Which surprises me… that one becomes more aware of one’s surrounding before the sun rises in the a.m. regardless of this fact, I feel things are more pronounced. I take utmost care, and exercise the most adept precision into the preparation leading up to my departure for the day. My coffee is ground and measured and the timer is set all the night before. So that when I wake up throw on my work clothes my mug, thermos and lunch pale are close at hand. Then there is the drive. So cold that my heater never actually blows hot air before I get to work. Maybe a good thing that I already have my coat, hat, and gloves on by the time I get to work. The morning light. Everything is so crisp and clear on frigid winter mornings (considering I don’t fog up the window with my warm breath). Driving through the valley on the way to the site is a great preface to the day, no matter how warm my bed was, or how hard it was to get up, it is definitely worth it. There is a calmness/peacefulness about it that is hard to describe.

Part II: The Work

Manual labor. It is definitely something in and of itself. “The body fuels the mind” (A River Runs Through It). I find this statement to be quite true. While putting countless nails into 2x4’s, 2x6’s, roof trusses, floor joists, hurricane straps, etc. my mind seems to be racing. Amidst all the mindless chit-chat, if you will, that goes on at construction sites it is a wonder any constructive thought is born, yet it seems to be just so. I often enjoy getting to work on parts of the house where I am working by myself. Just me and the task at hand. It allows me to take in my surroundings, to look objectively at the work I am performing, and immediately dismiss any notions that this is in fact simply routine. Everything is building up to something…

I am building, constructing, creating something, for someone. This will be someone’s ‘home’ in the near future. This is where their life will happen. Where their marriage will begin, where their kids will be raised, where they will associate with something familiar. ‘Home is where the heart is’ though, right? Yes, but memories also constitute a state of the heart. And their memories will be made here, right here under these trusses that we are setting.

Part III: My Crew

To say that construction workers are a different breed may be an understatement, but it is with these guys that I am living my life, and I am therefore one of them. And it is with these guys that I love working.

If you want to live in community, go build a house with someone. You have to learn how to communicate, how to trust, and how to work together towards a common goal no matter what your differences are and no matter how hard it is to get along with someone. We also have fun, though. I laugh a lot at work. Oh yeah, you also have to have a sense of humor. And you must be willing to take ridicule. Because you will make mistakes while building a house, and you will be the butt of the joke until you die… construction workers never forget these stories. They are told over and over and over, and they are laughed at every time. But don’t be mistaken, these guys would do anything for each other. Because we are a team, a crew.

Part IV: Conclusion

What does all this mean? I don’t quite know that I am sure. It probably references some greater analogy or metaphor. Maybe it speaks of Hebrews 11:10. “For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God”. Maybe it resonates within me for this reason: that I am His creation. Made in His image, and made to take joy in the craft of creating something, building something bigger than myself. Laying the foundations for what is ahead.

I do not try to fool myself, and pretend to know why I love working construction. No person in their right mind would. I only joy in the fact that He has blessed me with the ability to do it. That He has given me something I am good at, that I may use for the benefit of others…

For the benefit of others. To touch someone else’s life.