A news channel’s legal analyst was chiming in about the danger (or lack thereof?) from the overheating nuclear reactors in Japan. I struggled with his credibility to weigh in on this topic. However, I was jaw-dropped stunned when he dismissively added that all you have to do is flood the site with sea water to cool it down. Really? All who has to do? Who, exactly, could do that? Who has the first clue about how that would be done? And who is willing to at least attempt some saving measure? The Plumbers. In times of disaster, thanks to the Plumbers. They know what it takes to remove water from one place to another. They know how to get potable water where there is none. And, if any hope is to be found in the nuclear disaster site, it will be found in the hands of the Plumbers. They may not be able to save the day, but they give it a swing.
I am admiring of and grateful for tradespeople of every stripe.
Close your eyes for a moment. Picture the city in which you live. See it in your mind’s eye. Now, strip away the walls and floors and furniture. Take away everything except the complex network of plumbing, heating, cooling and electrical systems. Picture the lines and pipes and wires and pumps and various components of these systems, like the circulatory system and nervous system of our society. Orderly lines, coming and going, offering incredibly accurate delivery of power, water and weather. How well it all works! If not for them, we would be wallowing around in muck, in the dark, and struggling to keep warm. Thank goodness for the professionals of the P-H-C trades!
Alas. Trades people have demonstrated their skills so deftly and with such ease that their accomplishments are grossly undervalued. In first world societies, most people consider indoor plumbing, heating and electrical services as their God-given, Constitution-protected rights. Trades people themselves undervalue their contributions, mistakenly believing that because these skills come easily to them, they are not worth very much. How many times I have heard someone introduce himself as, “just a Plumber!
“Just a Plumber?” It’s like saying, “I’m just an astronaut” or “I’m just a miracle worker.” I’m in awe of the skills and talents you possess. I’m dazzled by the good work that you perform. How few people can do what you can do!
Here’s to acknowledging the acts of heroism that surround us, that characterize us as human beings. Love, peace, prosperity and freedom…may good things expand in brave waves today.
And to the Plumbers in Japan…Domo arigato.
ありがとう
xo$, Ellen
