Episode Fifteen - The Shed

Ezra describes his shed, and confesses his affection for the building.  He then explains how the routine of walking from his shed to his house has contributed to his understanding of life and how it may end.

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Transcript

Episode Fifteen:  The Shed

Ezra:  Okay…I’m…I'm gonna get philosophical on you here this morning, so-uh…buckle your seat belt, okay, um, because this morning I'm, I’m, I’m gonna talk to you all about my shed. [Chuckle] This is, this is gonna be my shed talk, uh…uhmm…family and neighbors around here probably get tired of listenin’ to me talk about my shed because, I do, I talk about it, a lot, ‘cause I like it. It's a beauty. Put it up myself, if I may say so. It’s, uh, it’s about 30 feet from the house, I suppose, uh, sit's up, up here on, on the ridge overlooking this beautiful little river, creek, whatever, that, that runs just about year round, except for a couple of months there, where it freezes over, of course, but otherwise you can hear it rushin’, day and night.  It’s good for the soul. So I think everyone should have a shed.  Sheds are good for people.  Good for me. I would, I’d be a mess without my shed. If that thing burned down, I would, I would build it, I’d build another one right up, I couldn't live without it, that's the, that’s the way I am [chuckle] about my shed. The wife, my, Janine, she gets jealous. [Chuckle] No, she doesn't, she likes it, too, she likes the shed. Um, I don't know what it is, I mean, it’s a nice shed, a nice post and beam affair sittin’ right up there over the river and, it's, uh, got a nice workbench over to one side, uh, where I can putter around, sort through my nails and screws and [chuckle] try to find my tools. Um, and then there along a couple of the walls is the firewood, that's nice, that's nice to look at. Gives the place some atmosphere. And, and then there’s still plenty of room for for for the car and the pickup, uh, so that's the floor plan, basically. It's got a, a loft overhead, too, but-uh, I don’t know, there's a bunch o’ crap up there that I don't, I don’t even go up there anymore, it's such a mess. So why do I like this shed so much, this, uh, why am I talkin’ about this shed, well, it's, uh --- now this is gonna sound weird. That's why I warned you at the top about, uh, about bein’ philosophical, okay, ‘cause I admit it, it's a little weird. It, it doesn't seem to matter, what time of day, or night, [sound of dog snoring] but, but that…[chuckle]…oh, my dog’s snorin’ again [chuckle]…yeah, he’s snorin’, yeah…you snorin’?...huh?...yeah….well, sleep tight, little amigo…um …where was I? So it doesn’t…matter what time it is, that, that walk, that, that, that 30 foot walk from the shed to the house, it almost always, it seems to set me up just right. Uh, you know, it's, it's the, the man comin’ home, and, and then there's the river and there's the family, you know, used to be, anyway, in the house, and maybe it's, uh, it’s gonna, gonna be, some, you know, there's a meal maybe waitin’ for you, sure, it's all it's all of that domestic stuff. But I'm talking about something, something more. I'm talkin’ about this, this kind of funny thing that happens in my head…more often than not, on that very brief walk from the shed to the house. Probably takes me, I, I don’ --- ten, fifteen seconds, that walk. But in that short span of time, my head clears…my heart slows down…and I, it’s…it's like my worries just go up the chimney. So you see what I mean about thee-uh, thee-uh, the medicinal effects of this walk from the shed to the house. Now ,you will say, perhaps you'll say, well, it's the walk, it's not the shed. Well, I think, you, you, you cannot separate these two things. It's, it's, it’s not just the walk. It's walkin’ from the shed to the house. If I was just, just walkin’ into the house it, it wouldn't be the same. [Beat] The other night, umm, it was around dusk, nice warm evening, the stars were out, it was beautiful, the moon up there, so, I’m, I’m walkin’ this walk from the shed to the house, and about halfway between the shed and the house, I…I had this, uh…I had this peace come over me…like I did not have a care in the world. I stopped, right there, you know, and I got, I got this urge to try and balance on, uh, on one foot, so, so I did, that’s what I did, I lifted my right foot and, uh, I, I just, I stood there for a while on my left foot. And, and then I decided, to take it a little further, and I, I started leanin’ back, still on one foot. And I stuck the other leg out to keep my, like my, my balance, like I was some…[chuckle]…some frickin’ ballerina is probably what it looked like but, that wasn't really in my mind at that moment, it was, it was more like, uh, all of a sudden this little stunt is possible, so you better do it, while you got the chance. So, that's what I did, I, I just kept leanin’ back, a little further, and a little further, a little further, and I, and I, I didn't…I didn't even teeter. Not once, it, it was kind of unnatural. More like the kind of thing that…well, you know, that happens in a dream, but not when you're just walkin’ to the house.  Which is the point I was trying to make, uh…the shed, okay, on its own, no big deal. And the house is, it’s nice, it's snug, but it's, it’s nothin’ special. But, on your way, on your way from the shed to the house, on your way from one to the other…there is somethin’ goin’ on there.

So that’s, uh, that’s my shed talk, and, uh…oh, my…so I think I’ll try to wrap this up, um…I know, I know some of y-, I know what you’re, you’re thinkin’, right now. Well, he’s certainly changed his tune, hasn’t he, since, uh, you know, the cancer…announcement and all. Uh…I was in a very dark place at that time.  I’ll admit that. I didn’t see, uh, I didn’t see much point in anything, but…but the family went into action, did an intervention on me, hm…and I’m gettin’ some treatment now, believe it or not, not gonna cure me, but they’re, they’re tellin’ me I might…might have a year or two left and, uh, everybody’s happy about that, includin’ me, I think, I don’t know, ‘cause here’s the thing, you know…you don’t want to get hung up on livin’ your life before you die.  But you do wanna be damned sure you’re livin’ your life when you die.  ‘Before’ is a preposition.  ‘After’ is a preposition.  Don’t bother with prepositions.  ‘When’, believe it or not, is an adverb.  So is ‘now’. ‘Now’ is an adverb.  Go with the adverbs.  You’ll never be finished, so, so don’t worry about finishin’.  You’ll always be in the middle of somethin’.  Just worry about how you finish, when you finish…right? ‘Cause the thing about eternity is, it’s, uh, it just goes on without ya’. It just does.  And there’s not a damned thing you can do about that, so…just give it your best shot, and, uh…adios.           

Dry Bones (last three verses), by Bascom Lamar Lunsford

When Moses saw that burnin’ bush
He walked it ‘round and around
And the Lord said to Moses
“You’s treadin’ on holy ground”

I saw, I saw the light from heaven
Shinin’ all around
I saw the light from heaven
I saw the light come down

Dry bones in that valley
Got up and took a little walk
The deaf could hear
And the dumb could talk

I saw, I saw the light from heaven
Shinin’ all around
I saw the light from heaven
I saw the light come down

Adam and eve in the garden
Under that sycamore tree
Eve said to Adam
“Satan never tempted me”

I saw, I saw the light from heaven
Shinin’ all around
I saw the light from heaven
I saw the light come down