Roofing with Wild at Heart

A few weeks ago I started reading the book Wild at Heart by John Eldredge.  The book discusses the need for a man to find adventure, to recover the masculine heart, defined in the image of a passionate God.  This is a book that I think about often throughout the day.  To me part of finding the masculine heart is through hard work.
Last weekend I helped Cassi's Dad re \-roof the rambler style house they live in.  Saturday was tear off and partial shingle.  Sunday was finish and use up what supplies we had (12 more bundles of shingles were needed to finish the roof for a total of 57 bundles)  I have helped roof houses and sheds before and felt up to the task.  I also wanted to use this to show Cassi that I am a well rounded man.  Able to work on computers (with my soft computer hands) and roof a house and get so dirty that the clothes I was wearing had to be thrown away.  To me this was an adventure, hard work, work that is not done on a normal basis.  I was proud of my self, and the group that worked the roof on the job we did. 

 When discussing working on the roof with Cassi I kept going back to the Wild at Heart book.  We started discussing adventures and what we do on those days we have no plans.  For years the fall back for those days was to head to Target, outlet stores or maybe the mall.  We decided that instead of heading to a store, we will now try to find day trips.  Trips that will have us hiking, picnicking, being together as a family outside, not in a big, stale, box store.

I am only to chapter three in the book but have gone back and read again from the beginning and started to underline important parts of the book to me.  Parts that I can refer back to.  One of my favorite lines from the book is actually an add for Northface "I am not alive in an office"  I work in an office, up on the fourth floor looking out big wall length windows.  Many times I wish I was outside. 

The book also talks about a man wanting to be the hero to the beauty and every woman wants an adventure to share.  Cassi and I are starting to work on these adventures.  I'm excited about this step in Restoring the Forest.  I have fears about starting adventure, what if one of us gets hurt?  I hate wood ticks and wasps.  What about itch weed, poison ivy.  I am surprised about my fears, growing up I did not have these fears.  Cassi doesn't have these fears, or she is real good at not showing them.  She inspires me to break down these fears, to head into adventures with her!

What adventures do you want to go on?

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