End of an Era

This past Tuesday a momentous occasion came and went for me.  I have officially finished my life as a full-time carpenter.  For nearly seven years now, I've been dragging myself out of bed to swing a hammer day after day, and now I am in a transition to begin a new and fairly different career - the priesthood.  This work has taught me a great deal about my own strengths and weaknesses, and has played a huge part in the person I've become as I move into the next stage of my life.
It was a fairly uneventful workday - Andrew and I spent the morning getting all the tools and supplies and prep work into place to finish hanging the interior trim for a set of replacement windows we installed a few weeks ago.  We had the oh-so-familiar morning drag of loading trucks with tools and going over the job with the boss, the ever-present forgotten supplies for which I had to drive back into town, and the same old cobbled together leftovers for lunch-- all things which have marked nearly every other day of my working life.  Things got moving, the real work was finished in a smooth flow of well-rehearsed tasks that have come to be almost as natural to me as brushing my teeth, and all of the sudden it was over.
The two of us stood there for an awkward minute, reflecting, before we both looked at each other with the knowledge that this really was the end.  We talked a bit about what a fantastic team the two of us have made over the last few years - Andrew says it's easier to work with me than his own brother - and how much time we've spent together.  We shook hands, talked a bit about what was coming up for us both for the summer, and said our goodbyes.
I think it will be a long time before my body makes the adjustment.  It's a little strange to think that this may well be the peak of my physical condition in life.  To be sure, continuing this work would indeed wear me down in countless ways, but never again will I be in the place to casually heft huge beams atop ladders or walk with lumber piled high on my shoulder across uneven terrain.  I will have to find new ways to inhabit myself...
While I look forward to the years ahead, these next few weeks of transition will be a strange mix of mourning and anticipation.  I have come to love being a laborer, even if I know it is not my calling!