My dad and I share a number of traits. We both have the Naylor ears. Stubborn and a little hardheaded are pretty good descriptives at times. If a job is worth doing, it's worth doing well. Our feet are narrow and bony and we have monkey toes. We share my mom for a best friend. Among many many other things, we both have this need to please and are therefore unfamiliar with the words "no" or "can't" in the English language (refer back to stubborn and a little hardheaded). So when someone says "Can you blah blah blah?" our answer is always a resounding "SURE!!! No problem. Be glad to." If someone tels us "Well you can't blah blah blah." we say "Ha! Wanna bet? Watch me!". I learned at a very young age that "can't never did nothing!" And to always stay focused.
The great thing about this superhero gene is that we always know we can call on each other for help and to get the job done. Therein lies the beauty of the gene. You see, I'm an only child, so in essence, I'm the son my dad never had. We have always enjoyed working together and are able to do so quite often. Many a memory has been shared during one of our work projects...laminate flooring in my upstairs bedrooms, cooking on retreat teams, building outdoor swing arbors that leave me deformed for life :), buidling a deck and laying carpet just to name a few.
Our most recent adventure involves reconstructing and underground coal mine. The local museum is kind enough to display several pieces of his woodworking creations and offer them for sale. When they approached him seeking some assistance in making underground support poles look natural in their new underground coal mine exhibit, I'm not sure my sweet daddy knew just what he was getting into. But he said "sure, no problem,I can do that!" And off we go on our next adventure.
We have had such a wonderful time finding just the right wood for our project, designing the construction, fighting drill batteries that won't hold a charge, broken drill bits, sulfer leaks in the mine, and standing back looking at a finished product and knowing we did it together. We've talked about fun ideas, travel dreams, ways to make my mom laugh. We've shared the things weighing on our hearts. Over the years, our work projects turn out in the end to have a two-fold accomplishment...the completion of the project and the growing of a never ending bond. So the next time someone says "Can you blah blah blah?" or "Well you can't blah blah blah, you better believe I'll be the first to say "Sure, no problem, I can do that!" I treasure my sweet daddy with my whole heart and wouldn't trade a minute of our work.
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