On Jan 25, 3:02 pm, "SteveB" wrote:

Why do some people think they're worth so much?

I can understand hvac and electric and plumbing and some of the specialty
trades. What's so hard about doors and trim?


There is a large portion of society (the majority?) that can't fix
anything on their own. I feel so sorry for them.

Imagine what it would be like to walk out to your car on a cold
morning, put your key in the ignition, turn it, see that nothing
happened, and have absolutely no clue what might be wrong. What a
sense of helplessness that must be - when the only option is to call
for a tow and pay a repair bill. Total dependence on others.

There is a flip side, though.

I miss brushing my teeth in peace. Now as I perform the morning
ritual, instead of thinking of nothing more than the tasty toothpaste,
my mind is filled with images of well pumps, pitless adapters,
casings, polyethylene pipes, header tanks, pressure switches, copper,
valves, fittings, filters, drains, traps, tanks, baffles, terracotta
pipes, and gravel. I can't drive a car without a constant sense of
the thousands of parts - each one totally essential to the operation
of the vehicle - that can so easily fail at any moment.

I have to wonder how a medical doctor feels, knowing that the human
body is basically on the edge of death at any moment. The smallest
microvolts keeping the heart beating. Solitary nucleotides in endless
clumps of DNA, under constant attack by ambient radiation, each with a
sole responsibility of keeping cancer at bay. A never ending battle
of bacteria, fungi, and immune system all in a delicate balance. But,
it must satisfying to know how to fix it all.