Tuesday, November 8, 2011

A Little Perspective

 So Alan has this job - he designs ships.  People often ask me what he does and I try to explain it and then laugh my very silly self out of it by saying "oh, it's just all Swahili to me." And it is! 
 When Alan comes home from work I ask "so how was your day?" (b/c that's what good wife's do, right?)  Most days he knows just how little I get what he does, and he really has no desire to relive some very tense stressful moments that don't belong in our home, so he says "I'm just so glad to be home" or "it was busy, but I got a lot done."

Period, end of story, let's move on to eating and finding out why there are four very small people screaming right now. 

But some days he'll say something like "oh, I just designed an analysis for a lift of a panel......"

"Wwhhaat" I think to myself, as I smile and lovingly hand him a baby and then continue to think "Swahili, Swahili, Swahili"

"Yea," he continues on "we have to lift a panel of the ship and move it"..blahh, blahh, blahh

"Um, honey, I mean really - it's a heavy duty piece of something that you designed, it can withstand missals and stuff, can't you just hook a crane up to it and just move the thing already"

"Of course sweetie, of course" with a singe of sarcasm that I of course ignored (or didn't hear) and then that's it, it's all still just Swahili to me!
So this past weekend Alan tells me that they are opening up the facility where they are building, lifting, and flipping all these panels and stuff that has been his work life since I've known him.  So of course I jumped at the opportunity to see where my husbands second home is and I knew Stephen would love, love, love it!!

Off we went, and as we walked in Alan began pointing out these "panels" and sure enough I thought - Swahili Swahili, hello I knew it, that thing can totally be picked up and moved, why as he been so stressed?  Man this guys needs a day in my life!

Then, Alan led us to The Hanger and Deck House of this ship - these two main key components that all those other things where going onto.  My jaw dropped, my heart sank, my mind was blown away

"ummmm, sweetie, you do WHAT???"

Alan smiled, realizing he made the right decision bringing me there
"Alan, is that massive, large thing in front of me the thingie that you designed a thing for other people to know how to pick it up, flip it over, and set it down over there?"  I'm very technical about my words!

He smiled, got really into explaining everything to me (which was awesome, but if I told you I'd have to kill you) and then from behind the barricade he was called away.  Off Alan went to check on something, and Stephen was left to play with the security guard that was very aware that this little mischievous red head wanted nothing more than to jump that gate and build a ship with his daddy!

So as Sunday morning (um really I would call it Saturday night, since it was 3am) came and Alan woke up to head into work (first time on a Sunday since we've been married :( ) I knew just how amazing what he was doing was!
As Alan supervised and spoke some more Swahili to the other amazing men and women that day, I prayed for them, and prayed for them. 

It's just amazing what a little perspective can do!