Under construction.................................

We are having more brick work done on the front yard to turn the side yard that has become a mud-hole-parking-pit into a functional parking pad. Watching the guys work has been an interesting inner lesson.

First the ground had to be assessed and the plan for development laid out so everyone knew the direction things would be going in. Then they had to dig out the non-solid surface (the grass and dirt) and haul that away. While useful to someone else it is no longer valuable to the overall construction plans.

As the old surface was hauled away, two inches of rock-solid limestone was brought in and tamped down. On this was laid a that black fabric stuff (similar to the stuff used to keep weeds at bay), followed by several inches of limestone gravel, tamping, more fabric, more limestone gravel, more tamping. And this is just the foundation. The pretty stuff that everyone sees is still many man hours away.

While the work only comes with a two year warranty, with a foundation this sturdy and secure the odds of the property having a structurally sound parking pad for years to come are pretty high.

How many times have I gone off on some new venture unprepared and wondered why things collapsed around me? Too many to count. I am all about jumping in and taking a risk, but that doesn't mean that it's okay to forgo the planning and the preparations needed to increase the odds in our favor first. Most people don't try and jump from a ship in the middle of the ocean without a life jacket, thinking "it will all work out."

If you happen to be in the middle of a sinking ship, don't think you can't fix things. Keep bailing until you can get to dry land, catch your breath, and figure out how many layers of new wood, nails, glue (can you tell I know nothing about boat building?) you need to fix the foundation of the boat so you can take it back into deep water without future trouble.

Some of our greatest lessons are learned when we break something down and then build it back up better than it was before.