The Power of a Book - Changing the Course in One's Life

 

My first book on electrical wiring diagrams

Books can have a powerful impact on our lives and the other day, I came across this book on electrical wiring diagrams and it reminded me of how much it changed my life.  While not the book you would cozy up with on the beach, or read it to your children to share your enthusiasm, it had a pretty profound impact on my own life.  I've posted often about home improvement projects that I've done, skills I've acquired over time, including electrical, plumbing, carpentry and most recently welding.  I don't profess to be an expert at any of them, but they didn't magically come to me, nor did I work alongside any one individual to learn all of them. 

As someone who lost their father just after his tenth birthday, I was more or less thrust into doing home improvement projects over time by necessity.  My mother was not a passive participant in life and after my father's death, did a number of projects around our home including the acquisition of three neighboring homes and a basement apartment for rental income.  One of those projects was the construction of a 25' greenhouse behind one of those homes for my brother Brad.  He had done much of the construction work, including plumbing, but we needed to do some electrical work, which is where it started for me.  Our step-uncle, MC Laird, was kind enough to guide us in the process. Each significant step along the way, he not only helped us know what to do next, but more importantly, was willing to show us.  Mom at the same time, had moved a double garage onto the property and both of them, needed to be wired with newly supplied electrical service.  As I started to learn how to wire it, I couldn't always remember the wiring diagrams and we came across this book at Salmons, a home improvement store in Rose Park that has since closed.

This book contained most standard wiring diagrams, including three way or four way switches, doing a daisy chain of lights on one switch and just about any need I came across.  It enabled me to do things I hadn't done before and those skills while refined over time, enabled me to help hundreds of people with a variety of projects.  I've wired basements, done expansion projects in my own home, and a variety of projects including recently building a railings for my mother-in-law, daughter and a neighbor.

There have been similar people along that pathway, like my Uncle MC, who helped me get past confidence barriers and to venture forward with something new.  Each of those steps were profound milestones in my life that then opened up new realms of possibilities for me.  I've enjoyed the feeling of accomplishment that comes from each of those projects, and I enjoy helping others who will benefit from that service.  It unquestionably has saved tens of thousands of dollars and it has allowed me to provide service for my family in ways that I may never have learned had my father lived to a his elderly years.  I miss my father and now my mother dearly and know my life would have probably taken a different course had my father lived.  However under the circumstances, and making the best of what we might be dealt with, I am grateful for the power of a simple book.