Like most young people I had no idea what I was getting myself into when I entered the construction business, but I enjoyed the work and liked the people with whom I worked. The pay wasn’t much, I could hardly afford the basics like rent, transportation and the basic food groups (like chips, hamburgers and beer), but it was the 60’s so I saved a lot on haircuts.

Eventually I went out on my own, did well in spite of the fact I hadn’t a clue on how to price my work and continued to build my business. Eventually I took on a partner and after enough years we called it quits. This was fine with me, but I ended up stuck and running in place. I had lost my Mojo, and I was drained. I needed to recharge.

I heard about a CAPS (Certified Aging in Place Specialist) program being held in Duluth. It was taught by a fellow named Mike and I decided to try it out. I also started promoting this class to friends where I lived and actually got a couple of them to sign up with me. But then I decided I wasn’t going to attend. Now we get to the people part.

I just got done telling the folks in Duluth I wasn’t going to the class and was feeling just fine about sitting around moping for a few days when the phone rang. My wife answered and the next thing I heard is my wife laughing and insisting I get on the phone. "Who is this idiot interrupting my bad mood?" I thought to myself. It was Mike, my soon to be new friend.

Mike was friendly and I got the impression that Minnesota Fats was a close relative of his. He has that easy going "I’m working the angles on this poor guy" approach and he hustles pretty good, but I’ve got street creds too and know when I’m being hustled. But after talking to Mike I agreed to take his class. Did you ever hear the expression “making a deal with the Devil”? I pictured this guy standing in flames, holding a pitchfork with “Mike's Used Car Sales” tattooed across his forehead. I agreed to go to the class in Duluth.

Duluth is a gritty inland harbor on Lake Superior, a once bustling port grown rich on the Taconite and Lumber industries. Duluth docks were now occupied by tourists and the raggedy descendants of wharf cats grown fat from eating the oily remains of Lake Superior fish. The cats got fat and the tourists drank and both made their way across the worn and moldy docks of Duluth.

I got a room for the night on the eigth floor of a hotel only to find the spectacular lake view blocked by plain and dirty 10 story building. So much for gazing out the window. I called it a day...

Getting up the next morning I stoped for a coffee and donut and proceeded on my way to Hermantown hall, where the class was being given. My apprehension grew wings at this point.

Now I grew up an East Coast city boy and I try to avoid places with names like Hermantown, actually anything with the name 'town' attached. Places with animals in the name like Mooseburg or Possumville I skirt by 20 or more miles, so with all the resolve I could muster I followed my map and got there on time for the class. By now I was surly and anxious and in no mood for the likely friendly Minnesota greeting I would get. Entering the building I met the administrator and indeed got that friendly “glad you could make it”, so I mumbled a reply and quickly signed in thinking all the while someone should shoot that cheery bastard.

Sitting in my chair I glanced at the class offering and saw a picture of Mike, my instructor. Oh great, he looked like my high school football coach, the guy who once picked me up by my neck after I had talked smack to him in drafting class. I wondered if Mike would look as bad as his picture.

Mike walked in and he looked even worse than his picture, which I now assume was a Glamour Shot done at Walmart in Hoosierville during their half-price sale. I saw better photos on the post office wall.

I’ll bet he starts out with a bad joke. He does! I wonder if he’ll quit early. He didn’t! I wonder if there’s a bar nearby. There wasn’t! I wanted to leave, but I didn’t.

Mike started in on the class and I thought I’d make the best of it. Mike wasn’t selling anything, he was giving something away. He taught a good class, his humor lightened things up and he was enjoying himself. I got involved and the day went pretty well. We had two days of instruction and the biggest thing I learned was that this class was like a filling station stop before starting a road trip. We weren’t going home expert in the subject. We were going home with a full tank of options that we could use or ignore. I decided to use the information to continue my education in Aging in Place Remodeling. I got interested, fired up, and pointed in the right direction.

What is best about this story is Mike had got me going again. I didn’t know him from Adam, so he didn’t need to encourage me to attend his class, he had nothing to gain by my attending.

Now Mike may be a professional instructor, but I’m a professional troublemaker and he didn’t even slow down when I challenged a part of his presentation and turned it into a joke. He flipped it right back at me and kept the ball rolling. Wikipedia may have a picture of Mike by the word curmudgeon, but the guy is a giver.

I went on to get involved in many more things after that class, you could say I reinvented myself. Giving back to my organization and community has become part of what I do and I now share some of my skills and education with others looking to learn. Mike and I communicate from time to time and he has encouraged me to continue in my new interests. We have become friends.

And what about building people? We are building people, we build things. We can also build people by mentoring and sharing our knowledge and experience. As Mike is a friend to me, I am a friend to others and find that helping the next generation of building people is an important part of our profession.

And what defines friendship? Just to keep things simple, my definition would be a person who accepts you as is, gives without expectations and tells you how it is. I have lots of friends. Mike is just one, but I would be poorer never having known him.

Paul Lesieur founded Silvertree Construction in 1988 to provide high quality kitchen remodel services, bathroom remodel services and home remodeling for both homeowners and businesses in the Twin Cities area. He has published online articles for the home improvement industry, including articles specific to professional kitchen, bath and interior remodels. Read more of this work at: Remodeling advice, articles, discussion.  

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