[MARTINSR]

Yeah, I never "got it" until I was well into my forties (I'm a slow learner ) what he really meant. I would be having a hard time with a lost job or something like that and he would say "Things change, soon this hurt will pass and you will be in good times". Of course it is a paraphase of the classic "This too pass my son". On a side note, I sure am glad I didn't get tattoos refering to all these things that have changed!

It amazes me when I think of how time has passed, and along with it came change. Over the last few months I have been dabbling in my 1948 Chevy pickup that I bought in 1974. The other day I got my "new" motor for it, a 235 inline six. The same type motor it had in it when I bought it. And it hit me, I sold the old one, THIRTY YEARS AGO! THIRTY years!

Well last night I was taking the bed off, I pulled it all apart off the back of the truck by myself. Just in reverse of when I put it together on the truck about 1979. I assembled it on that truck 28 years ago all perfectly flat cut and buffed lacquer, with chromed bolts. I was so damn proud of it. I was a newly wed with a wife I had two kids with, and divorced 21 years ago! I was living in a little house that was $300 a month, now the same house $2000. I have had a number of different jobs, ones with uniforms, one with a suit, 13 years in my own shop, remarried, two more kids, different houses/apartments (owned a couple, rented the rest) I pulled this bed apart with the help of my ten year old son! My 22 year old and 25 year old from my previous marriage are doing great, my 22 year old called me on my cel while I was working on the truck. She wasn't even born when I last tightened those bolts!

Anyway, I am starting this project with my 10 year old and something dawned on me that started me thinking this whole thing, I was using my SnapOn combination wrenches and sockets that I used to put the thing together! That is the one constant in the picture besides the truck, I still had my tools.

Brian

[302 Z28]

I just have one comment: Brian, your getting too old.

Vince

[mosstrooper]

I'm still using the same hammer since I was an Apprentice Engineer 50 years ago. It has had three new shafts and four new heads in that time.

[poncho62]

You know you are getting old whn you start thinking of that type of stuff.........I do it all the time too.......................

[Bad Rat]

Yeah,, me too,, its really amazing how the time does " FLY " I retired in 2000, after 45 years in the commercial const, bussiness,, then built cars with my 25 y/o son for awhile, and enjoyed every minute of it, but finally I got to the point of realising that I ain't getting any younger, and I have a kazillion things I want to do yet,, so last August.. I just closed the doors and decided the rest of my life is for my wife and myself,,and my grandkids ,,, I found my son a job in another rod shop and after 10 months he finally decided that he wanted to join his older brother and work in construction,, and joined the carpenters union,
It seems that every day there is a definite ritual that happens,, and the weeks seem like just a couple of days, and the months seem like only a week,, months fly by,, and before we realize it we are "SENIOR CITIZENS" able to get into movies , and discount prices at restaurants,, I'm not quite convinced that that is what I really want, But really there is no way to slow the aging process,, so all we can do is enjoy what time there is,, live everyday like it is your last one,, I am,, and its fun again,,, Bill

[tfeverfred]

I was watching the 30th Anniversary of.... "Star Wars" on the History channel. I swore up and down they were wrong! Like the freaking History channel could be wrong.

Time does fly and the years seem to be measured in weeks instead of days, but I'm just thankful that I survived all the stupid crap I used to do when I was younger. It's true, old is wiser (if ya work it right) and I wouldn't trade a day for the times I've had, so I just don't think about getting old and laugh at my nephew, whose life was a shambles because got a C on a report that was due towards the end of school!

[Rambo_The_Dog]

Brian,

Thanks for sharing - good read.

Congrats to you for hanging on to the old girl (The 48 PU ) all this time.

Now that you have the benefit of hindsight - how do you view your previous work vs. what you're doing now?

I too have tools I still use from 25+ years ago - 1 is a Snap-On body hammer I bought when I was 18 and it still has the same handle on it!

I also have tools that I use everyday that my father owned ( he passed away 40 years ago) and tools my grandfather used that are even older!

So far I don't have anyone to pass my tools and knowledge along like you but that hopefully will change someday!

[MARTINSR]

I'm thinking of selling Snap On a slogan.

"You'll have to dump your wife and marry a new one before you need to replace your SnapOn tools".

I have my first real body hammer, it is a SnapOn as well.

I love quality tools, you just can't beat them.

Brian

[Beenaway2long]

32 years ago, I was 12 years old. A guy had (2) snowmobiles sitting in a side yard that were apart. I bought both for $10.00. Within a week, I rode one sled to his house. Then, I swapped the motor off the other to the son of a S-K tool guy for a set of open end SAE and Metric wrenches. (5 wrenchs each) I still have them today, along with my first set of Craftsman sockets, and screwdrivers. I still have the first cheapo wrench (broken) I bought as a reminder to NEVER buy junk.

[428ho]

Although I'm "Only" 47 when I think of how many cars I've owned it's staggering. But then I realize, I still have the first car I ever bought and it's now on it's second rebuild.
What really shocked me was thinking I'm only 19 years away from 66, sounds like a long time, but I know it'll go by all to quickly.
Why think of 66? Because I will have had my 68 Firebird for 50 years then. Geez!!!

[428ho]

Just got this emailed to me, had to share it here.