I want patience … and I want it now!
When you are waiting for an elevator, how many times do you hit the button?
When you are cooking something in the microwave, do you take the food out with 9 seconds left?
For a good part of my career, I worked for a visionary and entrepreneur. He was known for coming up with an idea, drawing it out on a piece of paper and then giving it to a programmer (systems engineer today). We all knew at that point, in his mind, the new feature or project was already done. He would come around the next day asking about the progress. I think it is a common trait of visionaries to have limited patience when it comes to getting things done. In some ways, I think that mentality rubbed off on me.
Have you ever built a house or remodeled one?
Amy and I have never built a house from the ground up. It seems like everything about building or remodeling a house comes down to “hurry up and wait”. There are so many facets to remodeling a house that will try your patience (or at least mine).
When we bought our new cabin, Misty Morn, I set a timeline for the remodel/addition in my head. I came up with the timeline, not because I thought through the work to be done, but because I knew when I wanted to get it on the rental market. We closed on the cabin at the first of February. I could already visualize what the cabin would look like when we are finished. In my mind, it was already done. In my mind, I thought we could remodel and add a room in about 3-4 months. That way we could have it on the rental market by the peak rental season and all of you would be wanting to rent it !
Seemed like a good plan at the time …
I keep pushing the elevator button but it just won’t come. I don’t even hear it moving.
Like most projects, big or small, there are so many details to deal with to get this party started. Project managers make a living by considering every detail and item that has to be completed and the time required to complete them. That’s how you come up with a real, thorough and accurate timeline. That’s what I should have done! A lesson in patience and planning.
We may be slow getting started but we are seeing some progress.
Step 1 Complete. Lots surveyed and property lines redrawn for the addition.
Step 2 Complete. We had trees that had to be cut down where the new addition will be on the cabin. Thanks to Monkey Man Tree Service for getting that job done last week. Definitely not me in the picture below !
A long way to go but I can hear the elevator moving now. It’s a slow elevator but at least it’s moving. Stay tuned !
Maybe if I just push that button one more time it will get here faster.
In then meantime, Spring is my favorite time to be in the mountains. Everything is so green and coming to life. It’s a great time for a trip to the Smokies.
Since Misty Morn is a work in progress, check out Maple Top in the Smokies
