My uncle has always been the one to build things on our family estate in Frankville, Alabama: picnic tables, banisters, and even a makeshift pool hall has been just a few projects that Uncle B.B. proudly designed. The amazing thing about all of these projects is that B.B. has never been trained to be a builder; he's just a natural at it. I share this information with you to give not only motivation, but a bit of information on how many professionals of certain trades are ‘self-made'.
Let's look at how so many young men were first boys following behind their fathers, who may not have had any education in these trades themselves. And just like father, the son follow these footsteps to carry-on the family business, start a business of their own, or keep the ‘self-made' skills to take care of home. There are many of us who have been recipients of theses ‘self-made' skills, and can attest to having their spouses, fathers or even brothers and sons being the plumber, electrician or carpenter; calling them your "Mr. Fix-It". Sure we may laugh at it now, but we all are suspects of calling on these "Mr. Fix-It"s before we grab any Yellow Pages, or a simple repair guide … admit it, we ‘need' these self-made professionals. Especially during a time when finances seem low or are just plain in trouble.
It may be a stretch to say that some of the greatest professions have started by trial and error, and from being a self-made person. Take for instance, my Uncle B.B. may not have attended a trade school to learn how to build a house, but believe me he can build one. You ask how is he able to do that? Well, the first thing would come from having an eye for what you plan on building; knowing where and how much space is going to be needed. Along with knowing which tools are necessary for building your project, one must also have an eye for what materials will be needed. And guess what? I've learned that by watching him! HA! No, I don't feel that I could build anything nearly as beautiful as my Uncle B.B., but I do believe if I had to build something small like a mailbox, or a one-plank bench to fit between two oak trees, I could be named a ‘halfway' carpenter. lol.
Regardless of my jokes, this can be the start for many self-made professionals. Starting on projects at home, and around your community will soon lead to being the "Mr. Fix-It", or it can lead to a person furthering their education on the trade, then resulting in certification to practice the trade under licenses. And of course, the rest is history.
Being around my uncle, and seeing his dream projects come to life, inspires me to have a mind to do anything that I put my heart to. Since my arrival in Frankville, Alabama, my uncle has been working on his next dream project: a park. Yes, you read it right, a park! Okay, I know we have a nice piece of land on our family estate, but I wouldn't have imagined that we had enough space for a park. But so far, the area he cleaned off for the park is creating enough space for what he has plans for.
After cleaning the area, he has started making foundations for the playhouse area (what he calls it), and he's placed the lighting for the park. I'm laughing as I type this, but it's obvious that my uncle's vision is more vivid than mine! I wish him all the best, and I cannot wait until my next trip down so I can visit the ‘Snowden Park'.
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