About a year after I had lost my arm I resumed what I did before I lost the arm, I built models. It was massive challenge and still is now. The last one I had built was in 2002. I kind of lost my appetite for them for awhile but I had mentioned to my wife several weeks ago that I would like to build one again. I’ve built all kinds through the years but my favorite are bi-planes and old cars of that the ones I love the most is a 1931 Rolls-Royce Phantom II which is usually black in color and the WWI Red Baron German Tri-Plane.
I do not put together snap-together models but ones that need to be glued. They usually come with 110 pieces or more. The more the pieces, the more authentic it looks. My former mother-in-law after her daughter, my wife died, gave me a model that her son had never put together. It was 1932 molded in yellow Ford roaster still in its original packaging and still sealed. It was about twenty or so years old. The scale was the largest I had ever worked on, about twelve inches long and eight inches wide. I loved it. Had wheels turning, doors and rumble seat opening and closed and real lights. It was really cool!
Concerning building I was just not favored to models. I’ve built furniture. Almost all of the furniture we have in our place, I have put together. The kind that you get from IKEA and other places. I’ve put together four book cases, a DVD case with doors, two television stands, one small dresser with another one yet to assemble, two night stands, a microwave stand and a breakfront. The one tool that I use that replaces my missing hand in a lot of situations is a Vice-Grip because it can lock in place to hold things in place as I tighten with my right hand.
I had gotten my experience in building while working in the Toy Department in Marshall Field’s for six years. The manager took a chance on me when her toy builder retired and was impressed so I became her builder of toys for display. I had put together doll houses (the ones that had to really be assembled), doll strollers and buggies, bicycles and tricycles, sand boxes, peddle cars, and swing sets. Interestingly enough I had an audience. People throughout the store would come by and watch me assemble these things.
I found in my experience of putting together toys that I really needed a second hand so I asked the store manager if the store would allow me to buy a pair of Vice-Grips and since she had seen how I did things she said yes and told me that the store would reimburse me, which they did and now it’s history of how I build things.
With the exception of one of our newest members, I have been the only one with one arm in this group. I can not comprehend what it is like to lose a leg or legs but I do know what it’s like to be an amputee as you know, the challenge is the same. The loss of a limb is not a disability but only an inconvenience. See everything as a steppingstone challenge, one after the other. When one challenge is done, go on to the next one. I’ve always been this way. I think because my father was the motivator. He wanted me to find a woman and marry her to take care of me for the rest of my life and I said no! Now I look at my aunt. She’s wheelchair bound and she lives by herself. What I saw her do when I stayed with her for a week, I was amazed. She like I, see things as a challenge for survival’s sake. It’s not easy to at times and frustration sometimes gets the better of us but we must keep on plugging away. Seek a challenge in order to survive!
Bill
"MDJunction has been just an amazing support for me. The people who are on mdj are so nice! Unlike the many other support sites that I have been on. I have made several friends on mdj who are so supportive and so educated about mental illness. Of course non of us are doctors, but we certainly offer each other hugs, opinions, and advice. I have learned a great deal from my friends on mdjunction. I am also encouraging other people who suffer from mental illness to come on to MDJ. It can be a life line." (jenniferdiva)
