After high school, I was at home a lot of the time.
My friends went on to college, but I didn’t want to.
It was a challenging time for me, and I fell into depression. My parents grew quite worried about my isolating behavior. They tried therapy, but nothing seemed to work. One mid-morning, dad came back home, asked me to shower, change, and get into his truck. He had some appointments as an HVAC technician, which he wanted me to tag along. For some reason, I didn’t fight him and did as he had asked. We drove to the first client, who was a sweet old lady with a faulty cooling unit. We got to chat with her as dad fixed her system. She told me how dad had always been there for her when her system was faulty for many years. He was a legend in our local community because of his HVAC skills, and I never knew it. Then the lady added I should consider teaming up with him when I told her I wasn’t sure what to do with my life. It was like the lights suddenly came back on and I didn’t feel lost again. I spoke with my dad after a few more appointments about the possibility of going to trade school. I’d study the theory, and he’d teach me the practicalities of the HVAC industry. Dad was a mess by the time we got home, and I knew the weight was lifting from his shoulders. Mom was ecstatic to hear the news, and that’s how the journey to becoming my dad’s business partner started. It was weird at first working for him, but he taught me so many things I hold dear.