Jill's Journal: Where there's a will ...

Mother Nature may have destroyed two of the three awnings I purchased last summer, but the third – and final – held strong until I disassembled it last fall. With plans to be on vacation for a third of the month of June, I opted to hold off on hauling it out of the garage and reassembling it until the extended July 4 holiday weekend.

In hindsight, it turned out to be a wise decision. With June’s heavy rainfall and those oh-so-determined South Dakota winds, by now good ol’ No. 3 would’ve likely blown all the way to Garretson or beyond.

My mission got underway Saturday morning just as the clock struck 10. I went into the endeavor with a sense of confidence, after all, I had prior knowledge of assembling the “C” poles into the “B” fittings and so forth. And for the most part, the assembly process was a smooth one. There were, of course, a few “bumps” in the road – mostly straightening poles and bending fittings – that required a bit of ingenuity and some good, old-fashioned hammering. 

“Where there’s a will,” I muttered to myself a few times over, reminding myself of the end reward: added comfort and space to enjoy in my downtime.

Three hours later, as I stood under the assembled awning, I felt a sense of accomplishment. But I wasn’t done just yet. Now, came the “fun” part: Filling the space with patio furniture, décor, lighting, pillows and rugs, and more. That “fun” lasted for another couple of hours before my moment of “a job well done” was fully realized.

What I had envisioned as a couple-hour project from start to finish turned into nearly five hours of “hard labor.” But on Saturday evening, as I shared stories and laughs with some good friends under the twinkle of the lights and a flame from the firepit, I knew then the effort was worth the reward.

“Where there’s a will,” I reminded myself, there are happy moments to be had.