There is a very large contrast between my father-in-law and I. He
grew up with nothing, worked for everything he ever needed, and knows
how to do every project under the sun. When he turned 16 years old he
wanted a car. Since he couldn't afford to buy a new, or used vehicle, he
spent the money he had made delivering newspapers for years buying
three broken down totaled cars. He took the parts from each of them and
combined them personally to make one running, working car. On the other
hand, I have followed my dad's philosophy.
When our family washing machine broke down during my teenage years, my dad called a repair man. After the fix was made and the handyman was paid I asked how big a pain it was to pay somebody every time something stopped working. My dad said, "there are two ways to go about a situation like this. You can learn how to do it, or make enough money to pay somebody else to do it for you."
Since my dad and my father-in-law live in different states, I spend time with each of them, but it's rare that all three of us are together at the same time. When I am with my wife's father, we are constantly making trips to appliance stores. Whether it be a part for a project, something to fix a small problem, or an idea he has cooked up in his head, appliance stores are like a branch of his house. He probably is in one three times a week. I'm not convinced that sometimes he doesn't stop by just because he enjoys the company of machines and tough guys who like to take on projects.
As for my pop, if he ever goes to appliance stores, it will be his first time. That's not actually true. He was traumatized when he was shopping for an expensive watch at the mall one day and accidentally strolled into a store featuring items big and small that he might be able to figure out how to operate given detailed instructions, but certainly would never consider trying to figure out how to install or repair.
The moral of the story is different strokes for different folks. Enjoying country club sports and working hard to earn a living so that you can avoid manual labor is alright. So too is getting dirty and emotionally invested in a project that requires a bunch of trips to appliance stores. What's interesting is my father-in-law also works a very good nine to five job. Golf is recreation for my dad. Fixing up cars, installing a new toilet, and tinkering with the washing machine's settings is just what makes my wife's dad happy. They're both happy. They just have different interests and priorities.
When our family washing machine broke down during my teenage years, my dad called a repair man. After the fix was made and the handyman was paid I asked how big a pain it was to pay somebody every time something stopped working. My dad said, "there are two ways to go about a situation like this. You can learn how to do it, or make enough money to pay somebody else to do it for you."
Since my dad and my father-in-law live in different states, I spend time with each of them, but it's rare that all three of us are together at the same time. When I am with my wife's father, we are constantly making trips to appliance stores. Whether it be a part for a project, something to fix a small problem, or an idea he has cooked up in his head, appliance stores are like a branch of his house. He probably is in one three times a week. I'm not convinced that sometimes he doesn't stop by just because he enjoys the company of machines and tough guys who like to take on projects.
As for my pop, if he ever goes to appliance stores, it will be his first time. That's not actually true. He was traumatized when he was shopping for an expensive watch at the mall one day and accidentally strolled into a store featuring items big and small that he might be able to figure out how to operate given detailed instructions, but certainly would never consider trying to figure out how to install or repair.
The moral of the story is different strokes for different folks. Enjoying country club sports and working hard to earn a living so that you can avoid manual labor is alright. So too is getting dirty and emotionally invested in a project that requires a bunch of trips to appliance stores. What's interesting is my father-in-law also works a very good nine to five job. Golf is recreation for my dad. Fixing up cars, installing a new toilet, and tinkering with the washing machine's settings is just what makes my wife's dad happy. They're both happy. They just have different interests and priorities.
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