Done. Finished. Complete. No more.
The new tower project is now done. Of course there are always little things to do, but as far as milestones, they are all done. The analog transmitter is on the air and looks and sounds good. The stress is easing and life is now getting back to normal. Wednesday last week we had a visitor to the site.
Wilbur is a retired engineer that is widely known and respected around the state. I really do not know him, even though I have seen him a lot lately since he sold us the tower, but Ross the Boss has known him for 30 years. Wilbur has built two 2000 foot towers in 20 years, at the same site. He knows his transmitter sites.
It was gratifying to hear him say he was impressed with our new site, but the comment that really struck me was when Wilbur said that I must be really enjoying the new site. I told him that I hadn't really had time to do much but work.
On Thursday afternoon, the transmitter rep was finished and gone. I had the analog transmitter running into the station load as I finished up some of the details to get ready to put the it on the air the following day. I had to run over to the old site and pickup some equipment to take over to the new site. As I pulled up to the fence and got out to unlock the gate, I looked up at the old tower. Something that I used to do every time I went before the project. I realized that for the last year or so, I hadn't been doing that as I came over to the site, usually because either the gate was already open or I was in a hurry to retrieve something and get back to the new site and I had gotten out of the habit. But this time something caught my eye that I was not used to seeing. It was the new tower along side the old tower. For the first time I REALLY looked at the two towers and instantly saw the 44 years difference in them. The different design and construction styles over that time span were evident. Then I had a revelation. For the first time in 10 months, the site was quiet, no type of construction. There was none to be done. No meetings to go to, no decisions on what color something needed to be or where something needed to go or decide on how to modify something so it will work with the rest of the project. None. Nada. Just the birds singing and the cars going by out on the road.
Then Wilbur's words came back to me. So I stood there and just let it all soak in. For the next 30 minutes, I just walked around the old site thinking about what I was doing 6 months ago; a year ago; 18 months ago. I was amazed at how quickly it put me in a different (and better) state of mind. For the first time in over a year, the stress just seemed to evaporate. After my little respite, I picked up the stuff I needed and then went back to the new site, in a new state of mind.
Mentally, that was the end of the project for me. The clicking into a different state was very noticeable and was a milestone of its own. Of course, no one cares when I think the project is over, only when the bills stop coming in!
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