An Afternoon With Randy

I have not spent enough time with my Uncle Randy. That is fact alone.


Though it was impromptu, and way too brief, Rachel and I were able to escape the chokehold of a packed Livermore house the weekend of Easter and hang out with Randy, Erin, Elsie, and Henrik. Out of the blue, Randy got me a set of wood carving tools. I not only wanted to thank him personally, I wanted to hear what brought the idea to mind. We ended up spending much of our time talking about just about everything. I enjoyed and absorbed every minute of it. Even though I have failed to spend more time with my uncle, he has had a profound impact on my life. I have been highly influenced by my uncles, and many will tell you that my personality and mannerisms show that directly. I have always considered that a compliment, and Randy is no exception to this rule. Randy has given me something my other uncles have never been able to; a non-Livermore perspective. Be it about woodworking, or personal relationships, Randy has a perspective that I have always cherished. His perspectives are often more calculated and much less aggressively motivated. Every one of my family members has a perspective that I respect, but for whatever reason, Randy's has always been one I have revered whether he knows it or not.


Weeks ago, I was out working in my shop and I found myself, as usual, frustrated and tired. Instead of giving up on the project and throwing it through the garage door as I fully intended, I stopped for a moment and looked at my project. As many sons do, the first thought that came to mind was, "what would Dad do here?", but this time all I could think about was Randy. How would Randy fix this? How does Randy not have holes in his shop walls? Ah yes, the whole he's a normal-human-not-a-Livermore thing... I fully regret not calling him on the spot but I have my own neurosis.


I am often a hypocritical person and when Rachel suggested that we go visit Randy, I was hesitant. I love it when people come and visit us in Clark, and I never find it to be an imposition when people do, but whenever I think about being on the other side, I am always hesitant. I don't want to be a bother and I understand people have their own things going on.


I am sure it came off as very abrupt and aloof, but I didn't bother asking if Randy was around until 20 minutes before we showed up at his shop door. No, we were not bothering him, and I hope he enjoyed our visit as much as I did.

This trip was just the beginning of many, and I hope to glean more wisdom from my Uncle Randy in future visits.




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