I was recently again exposed to the lack of other handymen available these days.
The tradition was that a parent would pass down skill sets and problem-solving skills (common sense) to their child(ren). But did the chain break with the baby boom generation?
When I was a young teenager, I remember my uncles servicing me for various tasks from cement work, remodeling, rebuilding, and just manual labor. I never during those summers asked or received money. What I gained was a lifetime of experience. Unlike today where my wife and I are paying $10,000 in college tuition for our children to get an education, and upon graduation, they are lacking some of the simplest of life skills. How things have changed?
I have told my children that this experience allows our family to receive a lifetime discount of 60% on services and projects ranging from oil changes, painting, home repairs, construction of new decks, installation of swimming pools, etc. barn building and much more. further.
I have a younger brother who is just as helpful as me. We often reflect on our father’s teachings. It was only the summer of 2010 that he passed away. Still, in his later years where he required 24-hour care with basic life tasks such as mobility, vision, and hearing; he still managed to provide address for the home where my mother and sister live. It seemed to me that my father’s mind was still as sharp as when I was young.
As I attend many school and church activities, I find that my circle of friends does not have this “can do, fix anything” attitude. I find myself isolated.
I’ve always thought that this “I can fix anything” attitude was widespread. It wasn’t until I talked to many others outside of my world and shared my experience that I came to recognize that my youthful life experiences made me unique. Others are always intrigued by my knowledge, which I always thought was very normal. Look, I’m not a genius, just practical.
PBS has a show called The Red Green Show. Red has an expression that I have repeated to my daughters. “If a woman doesn’t find you handsome, then she should find you useful!” Handy will have lifetime benefits, but beautiful will only last for months!
I find that being able to fix anything has benefited me even in the world of technology and the Internet. One of the services that my company offers to our clients is to perform search engine optimization (SEO) on their corporate websites. At my own tech company, I struggled for many moons to get the best SEO position to market my company’s products and services. My “can fix anything” philosophy has allowed me to think about and understand Google’s mission statement; I understand how Google views search engine optimization in consideration of its mission statement and core values. Now my company offers SEO as a viable and competitive service with real results to other companies that wish to position themselves in the first positions of Google.