We’ve done everything ourselves with our own hands.

We sold our urban condo without a realtor. We drove across Canada hauling all our junk in our own trailer (in the middle of Winter) and moved across the country. We bought a house with no advice. We replumbed the entire house. We reshingled the steep roof. We carried out buckets and buckets of old plaster. We carried in and hung over 100 sheets of drywall. We puttied. We painted. We tiled. We cleared snow. We carried a 500 pound wood-stove. We’ve done it all.

But there comes a time when you need to ask for help. And we did. When it came to our driveway, we needed help.

Oh, we tried to deal with our driveway ourselves. Cameron used our tractor to eliminate the bumps and muddiness. Our few attempts only made the driveway worse; it was bumpier, ruttier, and softer than ever.

So we asked for help. We called in the big guns. I was happy. We’ve got a lot on the go and anything that frees up Cam’s time is a good thing.

Laura-Jane, the bulldozer, and the driveway

But, for Cameron, it was hard. He likes to do things himself; he likes to be in control. He wants projects done to his standards on his schedule. After much cajoling from my part, Cam agreed that we should hire a local company to improve our driveway. All Cameron could do was look on. It was hard for him.

But these guys knew what they were doing. They arrived with huge equipment and got to work. Cam looked on from the sidelines.

Cameron on the sidelines

What would have taken him weeks with our equipment was done in a matter of hours. It was exciting to see the experts in action.

Our driveway getting built up

Once the project was almost complete, I was inside the house while Cameron and the crew were outside. Suddenly the screen door slammed and work-boots clomped up the stairs two at a time. It was a breathless Cameron.

“They need an extra body to drive some equipment down the road!” He said. “I’m going to be driving a huge piece of equipment down the road!!”

I paused, then said, “Did you tell them that you’ve never driven anything like that before?”

“Yes, but they didn’t seem to mind.”

I laughed, grabbed my camera, and followed him outside.

After a crash course in Heavy Equipment 101, he was driving the giant loader on our property.

Cameron in the bulldozerCameron in the loader

Soon enough I was waving from the end of our driveway and watching a parade of yellow machines fade off into the distance, with Cameron bringing up the rear in the giant loader.

Equipment parade

From then on Cameron relaxed, and the driveway project was a success.

Cameron on the driveway

This whole episode leads me to wonder, “Why couldn’t we have hired people to do everything??”

But, as Cameron points out, you’ve got to know when to do it yourself and when to ask for help. Our financial freedom has been based on Cameron’s knowledge, gung-ho, and willingness to do work himself. Without his willingness to learn and do, we couldn’t possibly be living how we’re living. That being said, there’s always a time to ask for help, and the trick is to recognize the time and not be too stubborn to act on it.