Today I went to work at Mr. David's house. Mr. David is over 80 and living in a house that probably has not been touched for years and years. There were cats living in his vents, his walls were crumbling from termite damage, and the inside of his house was covered in layers of dust. For most of the day, I worked on an outside wall in the back of the house. We had to remove all the rotten siding, tar paper, and damaged studs. Then we had to replace it all with fresh wood, studs, and paper. It was probably one of the best days I've had in a long time. Working hard, not thinking about anything else, using power tools, especially the power tools, made it an awesome day. It sounds simple, and it is, that's what is great about it. People say NOLA sounds like hard work, with some fun parts, but others mundane. To me, it is all fun, because there is only pure emotion, I only need to focus on one thing. There is not a million stressful things to remember like homework, tests, sports, and all that junk. The only thing I need is a task that helps another person and great people to do it with. Stripping away all the materialistic things that invade my life on a normal basis is beyond therapeutic. Working today on Mr. David's siding was so fun, so peaceful, and so insightful. Simplicity, friendship, and service are what I take out of my day. And I hope that when I get home, I can remember these things despite all the pressure from everything else.
Laurel
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