Have You Been Served?

Was listening to a show about high school and thought what do you do after you graduate? If you do get as far as to walk across a stage in a robe to the sounds of pomp and circumstance to get a piece of paper that acclaims you are knowledgeable enough to read, write, do simple math, have some understanding of your country’s history and can tie your own shoe laces; then what?

Some go on to university for to be taught higher skills and hopefully receive a better starting pay while learning about drinking, sex, drugs and smelly roommates. Some can’t afford or have no wish to know more than they know so they have to choose from the employment opportunities available to them.

Today much of the later is the ‘service’ industry.

While manufacturing and mining and other manual labor jobs have gone to people who would lust after a minimal wage, the focus of work has turned to servicing others.

There are…

Administrative service, Civil service, Community service, Customer service, Domestic service, Fan service, Military service, Public service, Selfless service, Table service, Church service and Building service to name a few.

With or without a degree (s), we all service someone or something.

The auto mechanic who serves your transportation needs, the dentist who serves your children’s straight teeth, the banker who serves your hard earned cash with special deals on how they can use it, the police or fire personnel who serves you safety, the landscaper who serves you the envy of your neighbors, or the barista who serves you your daily cappuccino.

No matter what we do or where we go there are people serving us, many unappreciated. Our lives just wouldn’t be so comfortable without these folks pampering us for only a tip and a ‘thank you’.

So what do you want to do when you grow up?

Climb up on a pole in the pouring rain to repair high voltage lines so that family can watch ‘Jeopardy’ without Alex Trubek or wade out in frigid waters to save a wayward pet or pour freezing water in the middle of the night trying to save a crack house or drive a truck down a dusty road not knowing if that rock in the road is a bomb or not or sit for hours in headphones drinking yesterday’s coffee spinning records for the lonely and alone or spend the end of your 12-hour shift scrubbing pots and pans unnoticed by the hungry or figure how to entertain a room full of squirming energy and keep them focused on coming away with being smarter than when they came in or constantly monitor and adjust all that tangled technology to keep your streaming phone fresh.

Today in 8-degree weather, my lights are on, my gas is working, my water runs, my computer connects to the world and the radio keeps me entertained. It takes a lot of people to maintain my world. Whether they are PHDs or GEDs their skills and effort amaze me for I couldn’t do this alone.

Today I’ve been served and never left the house. “Thank you for your service”