|
Corey Deitz
169
When I was growing up, I was discouraged from even thinking
about acquiring a trade like carpentry, plumbing, or welding. My parents
wanted me to go to college and do better than they had done.
My parents’ intention was noble but, they also might have been
wrong.
As I’ve grown older, I have become so much more appreciative of
the skills a tradesman can offer. I’m an amateur when it comes to making
something out of wood. I don’t understand a damn thing about electricity.
If my pipes burst, I’d probably drown. I am envious of those who possess
a real proficiency in useful skills.
Maybe I wouldn’t feel this way if my life had started as a
tradesman. Maybe I’m just a spoiled white-collar worker who doesn’t
know how lucky he is. But, truth be told, in my heart I know one thing:
hundreds of thousands of other folks who go through each day
contributing their small share to the big cog that turns this country are
more America than me.
I want to be a better American.
Maybe one does that by first realizing that the standard to look up
to is usually found in the people most frowned upon by the far-left
liberals.
I know there are those who think a lot of folks in the heartland are
just a bunch of dumb, stupid rednecks and hillbillies. Well, I’ll cast my lot
with them anytime. You don’t have to be formally educated to have
common sense and decency. You don’t have to go to art galleries to
appreciate culture and you don’t have to drink Pinot Noir wine to prove to
your friends you have good taste.
I grew up in northeast New Jersey 10 miles west of New York
City. It wasn’t until I left the Garden State for college in Ohio that I began
|