My Occupational Story

This week was another low-key week. I had very little mental energy to do anything. What I did accomplish was going to the store to grab some O-rings. I ended up grabbing two different sizes and they were both too big. I knew I should have grabbed the old parts to make certain I was grabbing the correct size, but now I know for future reference. The O-rings were so much smaller than I had thought. It thought maybe the one’s I had purchased would work, but I started thinking about the purpose they serve. It would most likely result in another leak if I didn’t create the tightest seal I could. So, back to the store I will go with the original seal.

Growing up my grandfather always was working on something. He never stopped. Being surrounded by someone who was so self-sufficient and willing to learn how something worked, or more so why something wasn’t working, showed me what I was capable of with some time and a whole lot of patience. My grandfather was knowledgeable and intuitive. Those two attributes kept my grandfather busy. He always had a constant running list of projects he wanted to tackle. When I say a list, I mean a book. One of my grandfather’s favorite occupations was building model airplanes. My grandfather taught me so many things about the ability to learn and grow through occupation. Using your hands to build, moving your body to say busy, and most of all enjoying the moments and memories the occupations bring you.

This very well could be why I chose a more mechanically inclined occupation. I know I originally chose it for the convenience of time with my schedule, but I have always been drawn to the less typical, masculine occupations. I enjoy being able to show my strengths as a woman. The accomplishment of achieving a sense of pride within your capabilities to do something if you take a little time and harness the patience to complete a task that most others would otherwise resort to an expert for, increase my sense of self-esteem and confidence. Now more than ever my occupation means more to me than I could have ever imagined. My grandfathers project list won’t compete itself, so it looks like this occupation will continue on with me for as long as I can imagine.