Make it Start...

I can remember some of the most frustrating moments in my life, I think we all do - but for me, one of the worst times (this is strictly crazy) is when I first moved out, I started a landscaping business with a couple of buddies - we called ourselves "Starving Students Lawncare" - and basically had equipment from pawn shops throughout Tallahassee - I mean dirty old piece of shit equipment, but it was all we could afford with our $280 of start up capital - and keeping that stuff running, and getting it to run - well hell, that was frustrating.

There was nothing fancy about the green machine - it was an old mower with a Briggs and Stratton engine with a pull start. Let me tell you, I pulled that string a million times if I ever pulled it once - no matter how many times we overhauled the engine, lubed, oiled, drained, coaxed, begged, cursed that machine - you had to pull that damn pull string ten times to convince the motor that you meant business and that the yard you were about to mow was not going to wait any longer. I would kick and scream that damn thing, and by the end of our day, my right arm and shoulder was sore, and my hand was blistered and calloused from the brittle rubber handle at the end of the torture rope...

The funny thing though - we got it started everytime. We mowed the yard, and we dealt with the frustration - we knew we had to, it was all that we had to the job that we said we were going to do, so we pulled and pushed and repaired - and dealt with the frustration. It was not the perfect machine, but it did the job, and all it took was some hard work, and a few choice four letter words...

That is where I am now - I want to pull that pull string over and over and over again and make things start - I know this situation is far from perfect - in fact, it can't get any worse right now, but the equipment is there, I just need to pull the string - repair time is needed - some investment in getting the damn thing to run, a little gas, maybe even a few cursewords - well that should make it start - I know that there is a job to do - that there is work to do, that eventually, the yard will get mowed, and although I may be sore and tired and defeated, at the end of the day, I will get what I want - or what is best.

When you have very few choices because of the equipment you have, you tend to use what you have - well, truth be known, I want to make it start, and am willing to leave it alone until I am ready to.

G