Early yesterday morning I had riveted the horizontal rows of Skybolt fasteners to the upper edge of the bottom cowl, using Pro Seal as a stabilizing adhesive between the aluminum and fiberglass. Later in the day, I went out to the shop and of course it still reeked of the Pro Seal. Yesterday was a beautiful spring day in Michigan; it wasn't too cold, the sun was shining and the air was calm. So I thought it would be nice to open the shop's garage door and air the room out. When I did, the afternoon sun streamed in, lighting up the interior and changing the perspective of the shop in a wonderful way. That garage door faces our street; many of our neighbors will walk by with their kids or dogs on such a beautiful afternoon. I wondered whether they would notice that my briefly exposed shop contained an airplane. I stepped outside and looked back in, to see what they could see.
On these rare occasions when the neighborhood can see my project from the street, I get kind of a giddy tingle that a pretty woman must get when she flirts by hiking her skirt up just a little; a very subtle but unmistakable signal: "Hey... check this out!" It's an odd feeling for a man in his 60s to get, but it ties into something deeper for me. Whenever I'm driving around the neighborhood - or any neighborhood, for that matter - I like to look at people's houses, and if their garage is open, I like to try to see if they have any fun toys. On the surface, this is just being nosy... but there's much more to it than that. It feels more like seeking out kindred souls... which, not coincidentally, defines the purpose of this wonderful website. We're all hiking our skirts up a little here, for all the best reasons. It's not always just to show off or gloat... sometimes it's to share encouragement: "See what I've done? Isn't it cool? You can do it too!" Sometimes it's to seek help: "Check out this scar I have. Does anybody know what I can do to fix this?" Sometimes it's to seek guidance: "I wish I had one of those bodies. How can I get one?"
I live in a nice neighborhood; it's a good place to live... but the people here like to keep to themselves. I'm casual friends with the families next door, and the guy across the street is a fellow motorhead that has helped me with some shop work a couple times... but they're not the kind of neighbors that invite contact, and sometimes I miss that. There's a part of me that wishes that someone would notice that I'm building an airplane and be interested enough to inquire further. I think about when I was a kid... how cool it would have been to discover that one of my neighbors was building an airplane... and how cool it would have been if that neighbor had indulged and encouraged my interest. When I got going on this build, I found myself wishing some neighborhood kid would learn I was building an airplane and want to learn more about it... maybe even help out. There were plenty of times I knew I could use the help, and it would be cool to share the interest with an adolescent. I know... in today's world, that sounds super creepy, doesn't it? But I was surprised at how much an introvert like myself suddenly had the desire to be a mentor of aviation. Being a member of two EAA Chapters (113 and 194) was a great way to channel this, and I enjoy helping out with Young Eagles and Flying Start events, as well as the meetings and gatherings. I think many Chapter members have had the experience of meeting someone younger who expressed a genuine interest in flying and/or building aircraft... and suddenly we want to share our experience with them nonstop; those conversations that seem like they could never end because we keep thinking of new things to share.
In discussing this with my wife, Amy (who has a Ph.D in psychology) she suggested I check out Erik Erikson's 8 Stages of Psychosocial Development; what I am experiencing is part of Stage 7: Middle Adulthood: Generativity vs. Stagnation. Synopsis (quoted from https://www.verywellmind.com/erik-eriksons-stages-of-psychosocial-development-2795740#psychosocial-stages-summary-chart): "During this time, adults strive to create or nurture things that will outlast them; often by parenting children or contributing to positive changes that benefit other people."
Well, that explains it. I wouldn't want to raise another child... but I do find myself looking forward to sharing my interests with my grandson Joey. I'm not some creepy old man who wants to lure kids into my lair... I have a genuine interest in mentoring my passion for aviation. So it's ok if I want neighbors to peek inside my garage. I'm not showing off... I just want to share something I love.
On these rare occasions when the neighborhood can see my project from the street, I get kind of a giddy tingle that a pretty woman must get when she flirts by hiking her skirt up just a little; a very subtle but unmistakable signal: "Hey... check this out!" It's an odd feeling for a man in his 60s to get, but it ties into something deeper for me. Whenever I'm driving around the neighborhood - or any neighborhood, for that matter - I like to look at people's houses, and if their garage is open, I like to try to see if they have any fun toys. On the surface, this is just being nosy... but there's much more to it than that. It feels more like seeking out kindred souls... which, not coincidentally, defines the purpose of this wonderful website. We're all hiking our skirts up a little here, for all the best reasons. It's not always just to show off or gloat... sometimes it's to share encouragement: "See what I've done? Isn't it cool? You can do it too!" Sometimes it's to seek help: "Check out this scar I have. Does anybody know what I can do to fix this?" Sometimes it's to seek guidance: "I wish I had one of those bodies. How can I get one?"
I live in a nice neighborhood; it's a good place to live... but the people here like to keep to themselves. I'm casual friends with the families next door, and the guy across the street is a fellow motorhead that has helped me with some shop work a couple times... but they're not the kind of neighbors that invite contact, and sometimes I miss that. There's a part of me that wishes that someone would notice that I'm building an airplane and be interested enough to inquire further. I think about when I was a kid... how cool it would have been to discover that one of my neighbors was building an airplane... and how cool it would have been if that neighbor had indulged and encouraged my interest. When I got going on this build, I found myself wishing some neighborhood kid would learn I was building an airplane and want to learn more about it... maybe even help out. There were plenty of times I knew I could use the help, and it would be cool to share the interest with an adolescent. I know... in today's world, that sounds super creepy, doesn't it? But I was surprised at how much an introvert like myself suddenly had the desire to be a mentor of aviation. Being a member of two EAA Chapters (113 and 194) was a great way to channel this, and I enjoy helping out with Young Eagles and Flying Start events, as well as the meetings and gatherings. I think many Chapter members have had the experience of meeting someone younger who expressed a genuine interest in flying and/or building aircraft... and suddenly we want to share our experience with them nonstop; those conversations that seem like they could never end because we keep thinking of new things to share.
In discussing this with my wife, Amy (who has a Ph.D in psychology) she suggested I check out Erik Erikson's 8 Stages of Psychosocial Development; what I am experiencing is part of Stage 7: Middle Adulthood: Generativity vs. Stagnation. Synopsis (quoted from https://www.verywellmind.com/erik-eriksons-stages-of-psychosocial-development-2795740#psychosocial-stages-summary-chart): "During this time, adults strive to create or nurture things that will outlast them; often by parenting children or contributing to positive changes that benefit other people."
Well, that explains it. I wouldn't want to raise another child... but I do find myself looking forward to sharing my interests with my grandson Joey. I'm not some creepy old man who wants to lure kids into my lair... I have a genuine interest in mentoring my passion for aviation. So it's ok if I want neighbors to peek inside my garage. I'm not showing off... I just want to share something I love.
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