Constructing Community

When I lived in Daytona during the summer of 1998 I worked at McDonald’s. Without fail, everyday a group of construction workers would walk in for lunch, you know the group, 8 men crammed into a truck that has been stretched like a limo to provide enough doors and space for the whole crew. These men, dusty and bleeding from a morning already filled with enough labor to constitute a “day’s work,” slide off each bench seat and out every door available. It was their lunch break and there’s only one place to go when you have that many hungry mouths to feed and a foreman’s wallet to save. So in they filed, the designed speaker of the group (“the order man”) was the oldest and probably the most experienced builder of the group. He made his way to my register and crossed his tattered arms as he gazed at the glowing menu in front of him. He looked at it intensely with squinted eyes as he uttered the words, “what do you want?” Even though he was facing my direction, weeks of experience told me the question was addressing the crew that was staring down the menu behind him. Each of the workers leaned in with a numerical response. That was all that was needed. Everything else was understood. The week’s prior had me asking, “Want fries with that?” “Yes.” “Want to make that a combo?” “Yes.” “Want to value size that combo?” “Yes.” I was now trained. I also knew that no cups were going to be needed. These men brought their own gargantuan plastic thermoses with retractable straws from the local Quickie Mart and just needed a refill from our endless tap of their favorite carbonated beverage. As the orders came up the younger crewmembers (“the getter guys”) grabbed a fry off the top then the tray and quickly made their way to a corner that the crew had secured for themselves and relished with all the necessary napkins and condiments. After a little sandwich swapping the meal began. The corner was alive with conversation about the day’s work, last night’s activities, and how tonight’s would surely top the previous. This went on for about 20 minutes then everyone topped off their “thermi” and they hit the road. This occurrence happened daily that summer. And as the summer went on boys grew into men and the crew grew closer. “The order man,” was replaced by the next in line. The newest greenhorns on the crew became “The getter guys,” but the conversation and community remained intact. At the time this word picture served nothing more than something I could count on dealing with everyday at the same time, but now it is somewhat valuable as we are wading thru what it means to create community.

So what do I take from this rag-tag sun-burnt group of misfits? First, community takes time. You have to be around each other continually for an extended period of time. These men invested breakfast and lunches and all hours in-between daily. You can’t expect community to grow if the proper amount of time in the right environments is not present.

The second thing I take away is the importance of “the order guy” without him the group lacks maturity, structure, responsibility, and leadership. The order guy provided the connection to the overall vision and mission of the project and kept this ever before everyone else on the team. Without him there would have been some really talented builders talking and playing around all day, and no building. He teaches the craft and the life to the younger guys. He takes responsibility for his teams successes and failures and remains their advocate before those that want the product. Without the order guy there is no future, no product, no training, no advocate, and no direction.

The third thing I take away is the importance of “the getter guys.” The getter guys represent the future of the crew. They are the young backs of the organization. The reality is the older men will go down with back spasms one day and the younger guys will have to carry the brunt of the workload. In the present, the product’s quality and timeliness depends on the getter guys. In the future, the ability to pull off products with the quality, wisdom, and richness of the past with an edge to the present depends on the getter guy’s ability to learn from their elders and form their own styles.

I understand that a word picture can say a thousand words, but not solve the problem. Perhaps it sheds light on some possible avenues of discussion. The one thing we can admit is that community has been happening successfully since the beginning of time, and there are many other areas outside the church that we can look at and learn from.

My Novel Life, Table Of Contents...

nov·el1 n
1. a fictional prose work with a relatively long and often complex plot, usually divided into chapters, in which the story traditionally develops through the thoughts and actions of its characters

Ok, maybe its not fictional but it is definitely complex. It has chapters, or better said, seasons..And so the story of my life continues to unfold here in the shadow of an ever expanding Atlanta. This season has me heavily involved in music and production specifically centered around church worship services. I'm married to my exquisitely, beautiful, and classy wife Lori. Most definitely a main character in "my novel life." I own a house exactly 15 minutes from mine and Lori's parents. My brother and sister are in the process of buying a house a few houses down from ours. We are praying that it works out. It will be cool to be that close to everyone in the family.

My time at work is spent playing music with the band "Team C," as we are known, or producing for Aaron Shust when he plays at Perimeter, our church. When I am not working I play around with different carpentry projects. I am in the process of finishing off my father-in-laws basement as well as various projects of my own at home. My wife and I like "thrifting" on the weekends, meaning we like frequenting the local thrift stores for deals. All I can say is everything expensive I own I paid less for than my filthy rags.
We have a three year old mutt, Haley, who is mostly boxer and could definetly give the "lycos" dog a run for its money. Needless to say she has plenty of energy for the both of us and usually doesn't share any of it. There is something about her that just gets to my heart. Maybe its me seeing her in that cage at the pound, and honestly not wanting her at first. My wife loved her at first sight. It took a while for me, but you eventually have to cave in to her. She is just so needy and wants affection and yets shrinks back so quickly at the first sight of anger. That's my Haley.
Anyway, I was challenged to write more by one of my previous supervisors, who recently moved out to Berkeley, California to be a social activist. More in deed than in word, strangely enough. He is a really great writer and speaker and his encouragement to me was to write more. So this is my attempt.