Humbled

So tonight I had one of those experiences that really puts you in your place.

If you've read my post from earlier in the week, you know that we came home on Sunday to our front gutter hanging from one corner of the house. Over the course of the week, we've had different contractors coming out to give us estimates. Last night, one of the contractors was supposed to be sending someone out at 7:00 to take a look-see and give us a quote. Around 6:20, we got a phone call from them saying the person they had planned to send had gotten tied up at another customer's house, so they were calling someone else who had the day off and asking him to come out. They told us he'd be out around 7:40. I wasn't happy, but they were very apologetic, and what could we do? About 10 minutes later, they called back to say he wasn't going to be able to make it, so they rescheduled to tonight - 6:00.

So tonight, 6:00 comes and goes. 6:15, then 6:30, then 6:45, and no sign of anyone, and no phone call. At this point, I'm pissed and I tell Dennis that when the guy arrives, I'm going to send him on his way because at this point, what is this telling me about this company's reliability? Then, at 6:53, there's a knock at the back door. Dennis answers, and I hear him mention to the guy that he was supposed to be here at 6:00. The guy responds that they told him 7:00, which I believe is probably true, since our appointment last night was for 7:00. They spoke briefly in the doorway before heading outside.

When they came back in the house, I met them in the kitchen with Matthew (asleep with his head on my shoulder - having slept through his dinner time), and we went to sit down in the dining room. The contractor commented how cute Matthew was, and after hearing that he was 1, mentioned that his own son is now 38 years old. So, we sit at the table, and he proceeds to show us the gutter system and work up his estimate, chatting with us the whole time. We talked about the weather, talked about his son and 1 year old granddaughter in Georgia, talked about being Irish and Sicilian. As we talked, I felt just like the Grinch. I felt like my heart grew three sizes while we were sitting there. I went from being pissed off at this guy to feeling so very sad. Sad that here I was, home from work on a Friday evening, ready to enjoy dinner with my husband and son, and here was this man, who I'd guess was in his early to mid 60's, sitting at my dining room table trying to make a living, when I'm sure he'd much rather have been home with his family.

When he left, I just started to cry. Sometimes things just seem so unfair. Now, I don't know this man's circumstances. For all I know, he loves what he does. But to me, it just doesn't seem right that he has to be out in the cold on a Friday night working up a quote for me while I'm inside, done with work for the week, waiting to enjoy the weekend with my family. I can only hope that we impressed upon him how much we appreciated his efforts. That's one of the things I love the most about my husband - he never feels that he's better than anyone else, never lets anyone feel their job is any less valuable, and always shows honest respect for hard work.

You know how the saying goes - "There but for the grace of God." There was a reason all this happened tonight. I've been letting petty bull$hit get to me lately, and this was just the dose of perspective I needed.