Plumb
Spiritual
“The
society which scorns excellence in plumbing as a humble activity and
tolerates shoddiness in philosophy because it is an exalted activity
will have neither good plumbing nor good philosophy: neither its
pipes nor its theories will hold water.” John W. Gardner
I
knew by eight o'clock yesterday that it was going to be “one of
those days.” Trying to do the eBay shipping was enough to test the
patience of a saint--the site kept dawdling and flipping to the wrong
page; I couldn't find the sports cards I needed even after going
through what seemed like 10,000 in the boxes. Took me until noon to
get to the post office. Then home again to cook for my book group—it
was Isie's and my turn. She agreed to host at her house, so I did the
cooking. Midway into it, the sink drain stopped up. I poured in what
caustic substances I had, then dispatched Jake to Home Depot for
more, but nothing worked and by now the kitchen was stacked with pots
and pans. Finally, I got the cake into the oven and set the timer.
Every time it ticked over a minute, it beeped three times. As I
washed dirty dishes in the bathtub...beep, beep, beep...and mixed the
ingredients for icing...beep, beep, beep. By the time I got to Isie's
I looked like one of those cartoon people who's grabbed hold of a
live wire.
Oh,
for a good plumber. I would worship at his feet. Burn offerings. I
live in a sixty-year-old house with Terracotta pipes out to the main
drain, so every year or so, roots grow into the lines. It's a
disgusting, expensive job to snake them out—what comes out: Oi! You
should be protected from such knowledge! Suffice it to say, a good
plumber is worth his weight in gold. And gold is what they make in
this old neighborhood, where my house is one of the newer ones. I
shudder to think what it costs to keep up one of the hundred-year-old
historic houses around the corner.
In my estimation, we don't appreciate people in the service
industries enough. What would we do without plumbers, electricians,
brick-layers, and carpenters? We rely on them for the smooth
operation of our lives. I have heard that not enough people are going
into these professions; that everyone now feels they need to go to
college, which is a travesty. When will we not need plumbers? They're
every bit as essential as primary care physicians!
We
need those magic men (I have never known a female plumber) who know
exactly what to do to return our pipes to free flowing. It may be a
humble profession, but it is a noble one, as well. So today, I am
lifting my coffee cup to all those people with the courage to say
'yes' to this field of endeavor that nobody wants, but everyone
needs. God bless plumbers everywhere!
In
the Spirit,
Jane
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