Curmudgeons

My wife is fantastic.  She has taught me so much about life and keeps me grounded.  She was the first and only person to observe that I like Curmudgeons.  

Curmudgeon: a noun for a bad-tempered person, especially an old one.

Neighbor

I was lucky to grow up next to a general contractor specializing in new homes and remodeling construction.  He was from Finland and was old school.  

He was trimming a tree with a chainsaw once, and it slipped. He almost cut his hand off.  He did not call 911; he wrapped his arm up with a rag and drove himself to emergency.  The following week, he was back to work. Old school and hardcore!  

He was not what you would call a warm person.  He was tough as nails, hard to get along with, and very quiet.  But (there is always a ‘but’), he did fantastic work, his pricing was fair, and he had an extremely loyal customer base.  It wasn’t easy to gain his respect, but he could be an incredible neighbor and friend once you did.  

Working for him was constantly engaging, whether we were framing an addition, hanging drywall, or building a brick wall.  I was SCARED to death of him, and I worked my ass off.  I remember one time when I was sixteen.  We were framing the back of a room addition about 30` long.  We had the wall framed on the ground, and we had to lift it to stand it up.  It seemed impossible, but he set the vision.  We got the wall about chest high, and he asked me if I was ready, even with the blood vessels already popping out of my head.  I was lifting as hard as I could, then I heard a grunt from him, and the wall stood up. 

I purchased my childhood house years later from my family trust.  I was still in awe of my neighbor/ contractor.  He was old but still worked 10 to 12 hours a day.  I would still help him occasionally on jobs where he needed extra hands, which was an honor.  He was a true curmudgeon, but:

• You knew where you stood with him.
• If you worked hard and did what you said you would do, you would gain his respect and loyalty.  He would be respectful and kind of nice to you.  
• He was honorable.
• He led without being called a leader by gaining respect.  I would follow him anywhere without question. 
• The quality of his work was remarkable!

I have about twenty stories about Curmudgeons to tell, and I will, but this is all for now.  

The fable’s moral is that difficult people can provide amazing results and friendships.