Seeking normal and missing life—one welder’s odyssey

Josh and Woodson, the Brown Dog. Photo courtesy of Josh Welton.

In the movie “Tombstone,” one of the major themes is Wyatt Earp’s search for stability. Near the end of the chaotic flick, as he’s at a dying Doc Holliday’s side, Doc asks him what he wants out of life. “Just a normal life,” says Wyatt.

“There’s no normal life, Wyatt, there’s just life. Get on with it” is Doc’s reply.

Those are words I find myself repeating in my head over and over again. It’s so easy to get caught up in a search for balance and security that you can forget to see the forest for the trees.

Over the last few years, I’ve simultaneously had some of the highest points of my professional career and the lowest points in my personal life. As a tradesman, I’m respected, working in a career that I love. As an artist, my work continues to evolve and gain attention on an international stage. But at the same time, my wife, Darla, and I both have been dealing with severe health issues; in the span of nine months we combined for five surgeries.

During that time our boy Woodson, the Brown Dog, passed away after battling an inoperable muscle disease. We’d adopted him a year after we were married, he was born the day I started welding.

This last June I had a decision to make. After being on a medical leave for 12 months while undergoing three arm surgeries, I could stay off and prepare for a fourth operation, or I could get cleared to work until I just couldn’t use my hands.

As an artist, I needed to create, not only mentally but to keep the momentum of my “brand” trending in the right direction. I opted to go back to work, pushing off the next surgery until the beginning of 2015.

Since then, I’ve been jamming on as much work as I can take on, pushing through the pain of torn ligaments in my left wrist and a right wrist that isn’t far behind. I spend my days working in General Dynamics’ prototype shop and my nights sculpting, putting better than full-time hours into both jobs.

And Darla has also fought through her health setbacks to take on new responsibilities as the creative director at her church, along with being a sought-after vocal trainer. While all of this is happening, we’re planning a move to Detroit, where we’re going to open a gallery along with a workshop. Oh yeah, and we adopted two pups, April and Lucy.

Life happens, and if you sit back and look for normalcy it’s gonna pass you by. There is no ideal time, there’s only now. I’ve spent a good chunk of my adult life thinking that the next year would be the one where everything fell into place; we’d become healthy, wealthy, and wise—that everything would be “easy.” The sooner you realize you need to fight every day for what you want, the sooner you’ll be happy. Because that’s the truth: despite all the struggles and setbacks, both Darla and I are doing what we love. And that’s what life should be.

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