So. Andy. As promised. I love your article about movers. I am reading it( yesterday) nodding my head “ yes!”. And thinking, all righty then, I am going to write about something that’s been on my mind for quite awhile.

Let’s say that one makes an argument that one version of a summary of the American Dream is that from very bare bones and basic beginnings, one can strive to become anything that one wants. Then as job and expectancies from life increase along with financial success, it stands to reason that a 24 hour day is not long enough to do absolutely everything for one’s self. Of course now there are resources to pay for what one cannot or chooses not to do on that “ to do list of life tasks”.

So one hires movers, plumbers, housekeepers, goes out to dinner more often etc. etc. This all makes sense except it brings up both the points you make in your article, Andy, and these:

1. I get that one makes a choice to contract out and pay for all these selected services. I get that it’s a business transaction. It’s the invisibility you talk about Andy, that…yes I see it..but I am not ok with it either. I don’t think one is required to become “best buddies” in any service arrangement that is set up. However, invisibility is too extreme. Happy medium is what we need.
2. My question is WHAT do we, everyday people, need to do to foster this happy medium? As in, no we aren’t going to get pallsy- whalsy but I DO see you, appreciate you, respect you, hired you because you are a professional and you take pride in your customer service…and so on (as an aside, I think any service provider whether that person is a dentist, electrician, pharmacist, mover, accountant, wifi repair person etc. is a “professional” when they excel at their work and their client service)

So yeah..on a basic level, what do we all need to do to get to this happy medium and away from “ invisibility”?

3. Yes, I get it that university education makes the difference between most of the service providers when I ask this next question.

WHY? for example is the physician, dentist, lawyer, chemist NOT invisible. The hair stylist, barber, esthetician MEDIUM invisible. And the plumber, tiler, mover, waiter ABSOLUTELY invisible.

I think the real answer to my “Why” is: habit, conditioning and blindly following some other person or friend’s mindless, disrespectful behaviour. The good news though is that this IS fixable. Not easily, but it can be done. New behaviours are needed to create a new paradigm of simply put; ERASING invisibility.

Hmmm. Maybe lots of folks writing about this is one big step…?

We know that not everyone wants to or should go to university. Like many things in life, college is either a choice or a choice that needs to be created if personal circumstances prohibit.( more on that last bit another time) So luckily we don’t need “university for all” as a solution to treating our fellow service providers with more respect.

Yup, respect is another invisibility eraser.

Just on that college thing again. There are plenty of accomplished folks out there who are self taught, well read and never attended university. There are some out there with tons of degrees that are shallow, dull, stunned and tiresome. ( disclosure here, I have two degrees, hope I don’t fit into the dullsville slot…)

So let me qualify from earlier…as free choice goes, one might like to, choose to become best chums with a service provider depending first and foremost on how two people happen to connect on various levels. Education attained at technical school, on the job training, or Ivy League college will not in itself guarantee a friendship.

And if it does…all I can say is: what else in life are you missing??

So Andy. There you have it. Hope I am making some sense. That’s the nice thing about writing comments, the “ stream of consciousness” seems to flow that much more. Just remember though: Your article made me write this :)

Have a super week