Sometimes as a maintenance guy on a mission station, Morgan doesn't feel so very important. Like when he's trying to figure out which jobs he can do with four guys when it is pouring rain and the power is off. Hint: there aren't a lot of jobs that you can do in the pouring rain with no power.
And then, sometimes, he knows that the job he is doing is actually, despite appearances perhaps, quite essential. Such as fixing the sewage system for one of the doctor houses so that it doesn't back up into the house. Because even the best doctors find their style a little cramped when their sewage system doesn't work. It's the little things in life, you know?
And THEN, sometimes, he feels a little bit like he is doing the same thing over and over again, day after day. Like, when the measurements aren't done QUITE right and he has to do the same job over again. That feels a little redundant. It can get old. Just a little.
Morgan rejoined the maintenance team after a week of paternity leave as they were finishing up the "fixing the sewage system" job. A large ditch had been dug as a "dry well" (evidently this is where excess "gray" water from the septic tank goes) and filled with stones (because that is what you do, I guess. I don't understand it completely). A pipe is then laid from the septic tank to the end of the giant ditch, with holes in it, to drain off the water, and it is then covered up. I guess.
Anyway, with the combination of several genius minds on the project, the simple matter of measuring the heights of "in" end of the pipe and the "out" end of the pipe was neglected until the ditch was dug, the rocks were in, and the pipe was being laid. At that point, one of the guys on the crew casually mentioned to Morgan that "the pipe is too high on this end."
Morgan frowned at the guy, thinking, of course it's not too high. There are several of us on this project. Surely somebody measured it.
"Really?" He said kindly, attempting to be a good listener like we are told to be.
"Yes." replied the guy, who obviously had faulty 3-D perception.
"Ok," Morgan decided to give him the benefit of the doubt, at least in theory.
"Let's measure it and see."
A couple of measurements later, Morgan stood looking at pipe that entered the septic tank 500mm from the top and exited the tank 300mm from the top. This meant that, for the sewage system to work correctly, the gray water would need to be really cooperative and agree to flow uphill. Just a little. Not much.
Since Morgan was guessing that the water would not be so agreeable, the crew began to move forward on moving backwards on the job to a point where they could fix the outgoing height of the pipe. This meant removing the pipe. Then removing the rocks. Lots and lots of rocks. Then digging the ditch deeper. (it was already very deep. and big) Also, the second time around of digging had to be done around a couple inches of gray water than was now running into the ditch from the old (not working) leech field. Then replacing the rocks. Lots and lots of rocks. And going and getting even more rocks because now the hole is bigger and needs more rock to be filled. Then replacing the pipe, so as to get back to the same point in the project that they were already at, only with everything in positions that worked with, rather than against, the various natural laws of the universe, such as gravity.
While I do feel very sorry for Morgan, I really couldn't restrain myself from a couple of small snorts of laughter. Respectful laughter, of course.
And, you know, the obligatory "measure twice, cut once" remark.
This from the Queen of Impulsive.
Pretty much all of my projects are done two or three times before they work.
Or don't work, as the case may be.
Like the last batch of sweet bread dough I made… without sugar.
Never fear, I realized it at the end and tried to knead in 1/2 c of sugar to the dough.
It really doesn't work that well.
Don't try it.
Or the entire load of laundry that I inadvertently tie-dyed purple from a new skirt because I'm too lazy to sort my laundry.
But we have pretty purple towels now.
And NOW I wash that skirt by hand.
You know, if we were all perfect I could of course give some great moral about how we should always think through our actions before we do them so that we would not make mistakes such as these and we would only ever have to do things once, beautifully, because we are all so wise now and have learned our lesson.
But we aren't.
I, for one, am quite unintelligent on a regular basis.
Clear thought did not come easy to me before two pregnancies and children, never mind now that I have a toddler and a newborn to juggle with my hormone-addled brain.
I don't know about you.
And I really don't have time to think through all of my actions.
And sometimes, even with all the thinking through, I just miss things.
Or things go wrong.
And I feel so stupid.
Or it's completely out of my control and I feel angry that I now have to clean up a mess someone else or something else made.
Because, isn't my time worth more than this???
And surely if we were all thinking clearly none of this would happen.
But I watched my husband this last week graciously accept a mistake that happened, and not look around for someone to blame, or kick himself for being stupid, or get angry at the amount of "unnecessary" work that now needed to happen. Instead, he laughed. And started fixing the problem.
I noticed this tendency while we were dating when our spare tire blew out halfway between Southern New Mexico and Oklahoma and we had to wait several hours for Morgan's dad to come tow us home. Morgan laughed. And called his dad to come get us.
Or when our toddler threw up all over him a couple weeks ago. Twice. Morgan laughed. And went and took a shower.
Sometimes, the answer is not to "do better" or "think clearer" or "be smarter."
Because we are still human, and sometimes we just screw up.
Or someone else does.
And then we have a choice to make: to deal with it graciously, or ungraciously.
To get angry.
Or to laugh and move forward.
And life on the mission field, or anywhere, for that matter, is very often not about doing things perfectly, but about learning to laugh and move on.
Even if that means moving "backwards" for a little while.
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