It’s my 55th birthday, but rather than celebrate me today, I’m opting instead to celebrate and HONOR one of the greatest gifts of my lifetime, my son, on this “National Tradesmen Day“! To know him is to love him, and (ps): I – MADE – HIM! I’m so beyond proud of my “bougie college Fonzie” with dirty hands, a brilliant mind, and the trash to treasure heart of his momma!

“Bougie college people” in crisp, clean, buttoned up white collars that handle all the biz? WE NEED THEM! But “tradesmen” in not so crisp, grease covered T-shirt’s with holes in ’em who handle all the rest of the business while … no offense … the “bougie people” are off playing golf, watching the stock market, and not “typically” building things with their own hands? WE NEED THEM, TOO! (By the way, “building” a fresh out of the box four seater dinette from Ikea to put in your DE-luxe apartment in the sky doesn’t count.)

My kid?

HE DOES BOTH!

Well, not the golf thing, lol, but he does watch the stock market and can handle his “business”. Golf is an epic sport, by the way. Don’t get me wrong. Actually? Now that I think of it, my son graduated “bougie high school” in 2011 with one of the greatest golfers on the PGA Tour, Jordan Spieth. But I’ve digressed …

He’s a self-taught machinist and a self-taught gunsmith. So, whether he’s voiding the HELL out of factory warranties or manufacturing the most beautiful custom AK’s around, he’s never not running around town with grease on his hands and holes in his shirts.

But, alas! He cleans up just fine when either me or “THE girl” drag him out from under the belly of a beast to make him go “BOUGIE” the town with us! Lol. That poor future daughter-in-law of mine is gonna be using A LOT of degreaser in her laundry room. In fact? I think I just thought of something epic I can do for her when they finally get hitched: A “Dawn Dishwashing Soap Bridal Shower”!

One last note, just to be clear: I’m in no way mocking the well-educated white collar professionals of the world. As I said before, we very much DO need them! Further, yes, I know that SMU is not a true Ivy League college. It is, however, a “Southern Ivy“. Not that it really matters, but I mean no disrespect whatsoever to any Ivy Leaguers who happen to see this.