…An organized workaholic. That makes us a good team–I’m organized and Allen is a workaholic. Or rather, Allen’s a project-aholic. He takes on project after project, challenge after challenge, and problem after problem until they are resolved. And unlike me, in my compartmentalized Bento Box fashion, Allen takes on multiple projects at a single time. This is perfectly illustrated by our salon table in the center of our small home.
While I would like this to be a nice tidy place for people to gather and visit, Allen has deemed this the perfect place for all projects to gather and visit. There are old shackles and new shackles, opened packages and unopened packaged, tools, and bits and pieces of various electronic parts scattered hither and yon. It all looks the same to me, i.e., a big mess. I offer my organizational expertise by placing all the bits and pieces in nice little boxes stowed neatly out of sight. Or, I could put the entire lot in a big bin so at least it is contained. I suggest a safety perspective in hopes of getting my way since after all, the sharp bits and pieces could become an actual hazard in heavy seas. I even donate one of only three drawers in our galley to house tools. Blah blah blah. More tools land on the table and new projects outpace any organization efforts. I do wish our salon table was available to host the many friends I plan to make, but I guess I can’t make any new friends if the boat can’t sail. I retreat to a tool-free corner and observe.
I notice the endless amount of energy Allen has–fixing this, fixing that. I notice he rarely gets frustrated. I notice these are not problems, they are projects and challenges and they are fun! And, the more the merrier! Allen will be working intently on the wiring of the chart plotter and I’ll say, “The ac doesn’t seem to be working on the port side.” Without any acknowledgement, he’ll leave the chart plotter dangling from the wall, set some little bits and pieces on the salon table(!), wander down inside the hull to inspect the ac, and before I know it, another project has taken flight. Oftentimes, if the issue remains unresolved, he’ll announce excitedly first thing the following morning, that he thought about it some more around 2am and figured it out. Other times, he’ll stumble out of his working stupor with a great big grin and say, “Well, that was a little more than I expected.” And still other times, the new project just finds another corner on the salon table. Some might say that this constant problem-solving is just the nature of owning a boat. But, for me it’s more. It’s made me realize that I have a partner who never gives up, never loses his patience, never complains of being tired, and has an amazing capacity to solve problems…with a smile. So friends, come on over–we’ll sit on the floor:)
P.S. Update from the proud Organizer!
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