From time to time, people come to my wall and say things I don’t agree with. More often than not, these are the comments I respond to, because by and large, it’s more interesting to engage with people that hold a different view. But sometimes, the people I agree with say something better than I could ever hope to, leaving me both humbled and in violent accord. In those cases, the only sensible thing to do is share their words, so more people can read them and say, “Well said.” Words like these, from Keith Higgins…
Mike Rowe,
I envy your journey through the blue collar world of dirty jobs, and the many wonderful and diverse Americans you’ve met and come to know. Somehow in this great land, we’ve lost our sense of how our country rose to greatness, overcoming serious odds. I wanted to work in a technical field, but my mother insisted I attend college, with the notion that I would be better than my father. There’s a message in there, should you choose to unravel it.
One semester into a flaccid liberal arts school, with a seminary affiliation, I realized that the path I trod didn’t lead anywhere I wanted to be, or would prepare me for anything I wanted to do. I wound up starting from the ground up, getting in to the technical field, hands on, by working hard and learning from older folks who were all too happy to show me everything they knew.
In my eighth decade of life, I’m not rich, nor famous, but I have loved every minute of my life, learning, teaching, mentoring, coaching, and savoring the words of Ecclesiastes: “There is nothing better for a man, than that he should eat and drink, and that he should make his soul enjoy good in his labor.” We’ve lost sight of that simple goodness, seeking instead all the vanities that fill the desires of the body, but leave the soul hungry and thirsty. Chop wood, carry water. The essence of day to day life, and done mindfully, exceedingly fulfilling.
I’m not telling you anything you don’t know from working side by side with so many ordinary, and yet extraordinary people, who do what is needed, in circumstances that would turn most of us inside-out, with joy and satisfaction. Thank you, and I hope that many young people will take advantage of your scholarship program, because that is one of the ways that will make America great again.
Keith
Thanks, Keith.
I can’t speak to your level of fame, but you do strike me as rich. Rich in wisdom and common sense. Thanks for sharing a measure of both, and for sticking around eight decades. The scholarships you mention can be applied for here.
Mike