Deep respect for repair people

Way back in the mists of time when I had my first hip replacement, I bought an adjustable bed. To be able to elevate my legs or sit up a bit was wonderful. Then, it turned out that long-suffering partner also realized the benefits for things that ailed him. We love that bed. And then, wouldn't you know it, the bed decided to break on a Saturday of a holiday weekend. Yup, Labor day weekend. The bed had somehow decided it not only wouldn't go flat, it lifted the head so it was almost doubled over. There was absolutely no way we could actually sleep on it. This discovery was made at three in the afternoon. Naturally I panicked. Then, I remembered the name of the nice man who came and fixed our bed before, found his number, took a deep breath, and called. Oh boy, voicemail. Thinking it would probably do no good at all, I left a message anyway. Wonder of wonders, he called back. Said he'd check to see if anyone was available. Again, palpitations. And waiting.

We lucked out! Two repairmen had just finished another emergency call and though they were over an hour away, our town was on their way home. When they arrived, the lead kept apologizing for his shorts and flip flops. I looked at him and said that since I was in sweatpants and a holey T-shirt, he had better fashion sense than I do. And I didn't care as long as the bed could be fixed. He promised he would as least get it flat for us to sleep, but depending on the issue, we may have to wait for parts. He dove under the bed (which, by the way, I had spent the hour waiting for him to arrive by thoroughly cleaning the floor and the bed frame) to find that it was the motor that was broken. Again, I held my breath while they went out to the truck to see if they could find a replacement part. Ten agonizing minutes later, he comes in triumphantly holding the new motor, dives under the bed again, and voila, it's fixed.

If you ever have looked down on people who know how to fix things because they don't work in fancy offices or wear designer clothes, think again. Without people who know how to get things working again, we'd all be in a pickle. Deep respect for workers who get things built and fixed.