The Builder

Finding joy at the hardware store

We all have sub-personalities that are tied to certain archetypes that we have chosen to explore. I have already talked about the Warrior and the Pacifist but I personally have many more. There is the Builder, the Healer, the Shopkeeper, the Monk, the Writer, the Mother, the Cook, the Preacher, the Farmer, and a few others.

While it is enlightening to discover and explore these sub-personalities and the archetypes they represent, it is also important to nurture them and allow them to complete their education. Repressing them can be unhealthy. Besides, ignoring them does not work because they will eventually come forth.

The Builder made his first appearance in my life during childhood. I was a Lego freak. I spent a ridiculous amount of time building things with Legos. I was very blessed by having a big box of thousands of Lego pieces. I would build something big and incredible then sit back and look at it for a few minutes. Then I would break apart my creation and start building something new. Those Lego pieces taught me a lot of basic building principles.

Later, in my adult years, I worked for several years as a stone mason. I almost never worked with bricks or blocks. That is boring. I worked with raw uncut stone. I built retaining walls and flagstone patios and steps — all out of doors. I…