“How Do You Eat A Hippopotamus? One Bite At A Time!”

I have never been a “construction” kind of guy. I never really had any interest in handy man tasks. If I couldn’t fix it with duct tape, I had to call someone. If it wasn’t for YouTube, I wouldn’t know what an impact driver does (its better than a drill for driving screws). I was more into video games and computers growing up when other guys were taking shop class and working on cars. I was into Warcraft, not Wrenches.

Needless to say, I’m not 100% sure I know what I am doing with my Airstream renovation – that is the bold, honest truth. It can be intimidating, even overwhelming at times (pricing out coosa board for the subfloor was an eye opener on how expensive materials can be). I’m basically rebuilding an Airstream from the ground up – and that can feel like a huge task.

When I bought the Airstream, I found the previous owner had left a small stuffed Hippopotamus in the console above the sink. When I found him, a quote popped into my head. “How Do You Eat A Hippopotomus? One Bite At A Time!!” This hippo has become my Motivation Mascot. When I feel like the job is too big – I just realize that I’m taking another bite towards finishing the hippo. Every small step will get me to my desired goal.

I purposely haven’t given myself a drop dead timeline. I’ve got a general idea of when I would like to have the Airstream on the road, but it isn’t set in stone. Renovating this Airstream is a journey. Every journey consists of steps and sometimes stumbles. I’m going to make mistakes on the way, but that is the only way to learn. I’m still really excited about all the future adventures – but I’m also excited about rebuilding her. I feel like a geek again.

I’ve worked in IT for a long time, and any passion I’ve felt for the industry died in me a long time ago. It is nice to feel excited about something again. So hand me a fork, because I have a full plate of hippo ahead of me and I can’t wait to take another bite!