Gulfport RePost- Day Three: I am a nail gun virtuoso

12/19

back at the same worksite today, the house of a woman named margaret. today we put down tar paper over the new osb boards on the roof. "boy," we said to each other at 9 am, after an hour of work. "it's getting hot."

after the tar paper, we started laying down shingles. i wielded a nail gun virtually nonstop for about 6 hours. "wow," we sighed as we wiped sweat from our eyes and hot tar from our knees. "the sun is melting everything."

after two solid days of work, we're almost done. my knees are tender and my hands can barely form the fists needed to shake in frustration at the aching in my back... but we are almost done building a new roof for a woman who has been living in her driveway since the storm. and! it looks amazing.

i like feeling useful. in general, my talents are not particularly practical. i'm good at making snarky comments and bad puns. i can amuse myself and sometimes others with an adequacy in drawring and writing. i can sing. but i'm not the missing piece in any puzzle, i'm not the crucial cog in any machine. but i've got energy and time, and i'm willing to give them to Gulfport, even if only for a short while (although i think i'm going to want to come back). i find it kind of hard to believe that the little i can do makes any difference in the world. but there is a roof on a house that says that even i can do something important.

"it's important to remember," said gerald, "that while we're out here, real life is still going on." driving back to the house from the worksite, we see piles of rubble and empty foundations. we also see extravagant christmas displays and houses and trailers ready to celebrate. people are driving to and from work, and in the morning joggers pick their way across the beach.

"it's the second christmas since the storm," said martha lee, " and people are starting to wonder if things will ever get better." if not crucial, i am a cog in a machine that is making a positive change in people's lives. it feels good.

the nail gun explodes air from its end that sends dust and sawdust flying into my face. it's not a bad way to spend a day.