My grandson, Colton Hamilton, has moved in with us for a while, partly 'cause old grandpa is too old and infirm to get done some of the things that need doing around here. In short, I can't do much hard work these days, maybe only four or five hours a day, and he's a strong young man who needs some experiences in life. Mostly, he needs to learn how to work, and not at just one thing. Getting started in life has always been hard business. That's a part of my life I wouldn't want to live back through, and I came out of a generation that put more pressure on young people to get started doing something productive. By the time I was 25 years of age, I was already a full-fledged college professor, and I got off to a slow start. My grandson is 21 and isn't at all sure what he wants to do with his life. That's where grandpa comes in, at least for the time being.
I was a college professor for 35 years, but I learned to do all sorts of things that have made my life better. I'm a good painter, used to have a sideline house painting business. I've been a carpenter, used to work part-time for a building contractor. I've even done some roofing and concrete work. I've been a cabinet maker of sorts, a furniture maker, and I still own a guitar shop where I make guitars. I've done some work as an auto mechanic. I like building things, and I've got a lot of tools around here . . . and my grandson needs to learn how to use them. Even if he ends up graduating from college and being a white collar professional, knowing how to do other things is important. It keeps you from being overly dependent on others to do things for you, and it saves a lot of money along the way. He's only been here a few days, and a buddy of mine has already said he'd probably hire him a couple of days a week to work in his vineyard. He grows grapes, is a wine maker. Getting work experiences is important, and the more you learn how to do, the better off you are.
It's amazing what you can learn out of necessity and curiosity. I've always been one to look at something and wonder, "Can I make that myself?" I got into guitar making because I couldn't afford to spend thousands of dollars on expensive guitars, and I didn't want to play junk. I don't work on guitars as much as I did at one time, but I try to build a few every year, and I do other projects at my shop across town. Maybe my grandson will take an interest in that. Maybe he'll like the carpentry work I have him doing. He did a pretty good job of building a gate for my backyard fence yesterday. I had reached the point with "chores" that I needed to hire someone, so it might as well have been him. He
needs the experience, and I need the help. Maybe I can teach him a few things. Maybe I'll learn a few things. There's no maybe when it comes to one thing - I'll enjoy having him around. He's my only grandson.
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