Singing air compressors

They were all chilly mornings.

The kind where you can see your breath in front of your face.

I can still smell the pneumatic nail gun oil and freshly-sawn pine wood.

Every so often, the air compressor kicked on to fill the tank back up, and that’s when my Dad would start singing.

As soon as that compressor started humming, Dad’s favorite gospel song would start too.

I always loved it because you could tell those were moments of pure joy for him, being with his family and working hard.

Those are some of my favorite memories.

Every time I’m around construction work, those sights and smells immediately punt me right back (like that scene from the Ratatouille movie with Ego) to my childhood and hearing Dad singing.

It’s the little things in life that stick with you.

This feeling in particular keeps coming back to me.

It’s been a brain worm for some reason.

And I think I know why…

I’m feeling that I’m at a crossroads:

• My side business is growing

• It’s getting increasingly harder to stay on top of this and my 9-5

• I just got a really crazy good job offer for a high-level position at a great company yesterday

It’s all coming to a head, and I’m not sure what to do.

I used to call my Dad with decisions like this, but I can’t do that anymore.

Instead, I’m left with his lessons and memories.

If I can speculate, I think this singing-and-air-compressor memory keeps coming back is for a few reasons:

1. I was able to go to work with my Dad as a kid. I want to be able to do that with my own kids. If I apply to this decision, which route will allow me to give my kids this experience if they want it?

2. My Dad loved construction work. He found meaning in putting in a hard day’s work. It made him happy. In my case, it’s all gonna be hard work. So, which of these options will give me energy and joy?

3. Life is short. My Dad died at 52. Even though nothing is guaranteed, that’s only 20 years away for me. I don’t have a ton of time to make the sort of impact I would like. My next move will be a big part of what defines the next couple of decades. I want to make a long-term decision.

Everyone’s journey is different.

At the end of the day, you have to figure out what pieces of the journey have been serving you and which pieces have been bogging you down.

In the last couple of years, I’ve been intentional about identifying each and using them to either adjust or double down.

And one of the main reasons is for times like this.

Figuring out how to make a big decision.

So, I would encourage you to do the same.

What are some important memories?

When are they showing up?

What are they trying to teach you?

Sit with each, write about each, and trust your gut.

Hope this was helpful.

Just writing it all out has helped me.

Cheers,

Swanagan