Saw that matchup, WMU vs Michigan State, listed somewhere the other day. You know, seeing those two names together always gets me thinking, but maybe not about the game itself, really.
It’s more that feeling, you know? The big school, the little school kinda vibe. Takes me back to this project I tried getting off the ground a while back. Felt just like that.
Trying to Get Something Started
So, I had this idea. Wanted to set up a little community workshop. Nothing fancy, just a place where folks could learn basic stuff, like fixing a leaky faucet or patching drywall. Simple skills everyone could use, right? Sounded easy enough in my head.
Boy, was I wrong. Getting it rolling was a whole different story.
- First off, finding a spot. Man, that was tough. Looked everywhere. Some places wanted way too much money. Others, the landlords just gave me this blank stare like I was speaking another language. Finally found this rundown garage space, needed a ton of work, but it was affordable.
- Then, drumming up interest. Printed some flyers, stuck ’em up around town. Talked to whoever would listen. Some people thought it was a neat idea. A lot just kinda nodded and walked away. Felt like I was shouting into the wind sometimes.
- The real headache, though? Dealing with the local town rules. Permits for this, permissions for that. It felt like I was this tiny little boat trying to navigate this giant, slow-moving ship. They weren’t mean or anything, just… procedures. So much paperwork. So many phone calls that didn’t get returned right away.
I spent evenings hunched over forms, trying to figure out what they even wanted. Got a couple of friends to help me clean out the garage, slap some paint on the walls. We dug up some old tools from garage sales and donations. Just kept pushing, day by day.
It wasn’t some big movie moment where everything suddenly clicked. We eventually held a few workshops. Some had decent turnout, taught a few people how to fix a wobbly chair or change a bike tire. Others, maybe only one or two people showed up. It was a grind, honestly.
Didn’t make me rich, that’s for sure. It kinda fizzled out after a year or so. But I learned a ton. Mostly learned that just putting in the effort, trying to do something even when the odds feel stacked against you, that’s something in itself. You don’t always ‘win’ in the traditional sense.
So yeah, that WMU vs Michigan State thing. Every time I see it, it reminds me of that garage, those flyers, all that effort. The feeling of being the smaller guy just trying to make something happen. You show up, you give it your best shot. That’s the real takeaway for me.
