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Allegory of the Handyman's Gloves.

Every situation requires a different pair of glove

By Veronica ThompsonPublished 4 years ago 5 min read
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There once was a man who was very skilled with his hands. Unlike other carpenters or handymen, this man did not specialize in one thing, he specialized in all things. From

repairing a roof to debugging a computer to rescuing kittens from trees; this man could do it all. He was highly sought after and known around town for his ability to fix anything, however he was also known for not being what we would call conventionally intelligent and for having delicate hands. Interesting how a man known for using his hands to make miracles happen was also mocked for not being very “intelligent” and for having weak hands; seems like a contradiction or perhaps a weird oxymoron “The stupid weak handed highly skilled handy man”, ironic.

In order to protect his delicate hands against the elements that he faced while working, he owned one pair of gloves. A pair of vinyl rubber powder free gloves, the kind found in daycare centers for changing diapers. These gloves were inefficient and the average thinking person wouldn’t use such gloves for the types of jobs had by the handyman, however our handyman friend was not the average thinking person. Whenever this man was called upon by one of his neighbors for a repair, his fragile hands would prepare the necessary tools/equipment, place his vinyl gloves gently on his frail hands and be on his way.

One day he was called upon to repair a broken window. He gathered his materials, geared his hands with his gloves and headed to his destination. The job was completed to perfection, however the man was in a great deal of pain once the job was done as pieces of broken glass had penetrated his gloves and stabbed his hands several times. As the man ignored his pain and began to clean – up the work area, he saw a box with the words “I am to be handled with these”. The man looked in the box and he found a pair of sturdy, Turtle skin safe handler gloves. Still wearing his now ragged pair of vinyl gloves, the man picked up the gloves to exam them. He was impressed by the craftsmanship, the sturdiness, and strength of these gloves. The average person may have thought, “Had I used these gloves for this job I could have protected my hands and I wouldn’t be in all this pain; however our handyman friend was not the average person; after examining the gloves, he placed them back into the box, admired his work, gathered his materials and headed home.

Two weeks later, a neighbor asked the handyman to weld down metal. As usual, the handyman grabbed his materials, placed his punctured and torn vinyl gloves on his hands and headed to his destination. Within twenty- five minutes the handyman had welded and melted down 40 pounds of metal scrap. After he had finished the job, he looked at his work and he was very pleased. However he looked at his hands and the gloves were nearly melted, when he removed the gloves his gentle and fragile hands were covered with blisters and burns. The man rubbed his hands and silently wept. After the mad wept, he looked around the room and saw a box with the writing “Use me for this job”. In the box were welder’s gloves and gear. The man looked into the box, examined and admired the gloves and welder’s gear. The average thinking person would have thought “Had I used these materials for this job, I would not be in this pain, however our handyman friend was not the average thinking person.

This pattern continued for years, the handyman would go to jobs wearing his vinyl gloves, and more times than not, he would encounter severe damage to his already fragile hands and after he completed every job, he would see a box that read “Use these gloves for this job”; he would admire the gloves, but he would continue to use his trusted vinyl gloves. One day the man sat quietly on the edge of his bed and looked at his burnt, penetrated, tired, frail hands and thought “If I don’t change the gloves I use, I will no longer have use of my hands”. Being that the man’s greatest passion in life was fixing things, giving up his passion was not an option.

With much pain in his heart, the man held his trusted vinyl gloves that were melted, penetrated, and worn out in his hands; he gently kissed them and stated “You no longer serve me. I must get rid of you if I want to continue doing what I love”. With tears in his eyes, he discarded the gloves that had been a significant part of who he was. The man decided that if he wanted to continue in his craft, he had to create the hardest sturdiest gloves ever known to man. He used metal, brick, steel, and cement to create a pair of gloves that were permanently mounted to his hands. These gloves were so strong that direct fire, glass, steel, nothing could penetrate them. These gloves were proven effective as the man was able to continue to successfully complete the hardest toughest jobs in town without damage to either the gloves or his hands. However these gloves proved to be ineffective for the gentler less resistant jobs, the jobs that brought him the most joy such as fixing a computer, rescuing a cat from a tree or helping an elderly person across the street, the jobs that brought him the most satisfaction.

One day as the man stood amongst a crowd of his neighbors watching helplessly as a small child cried helplessly in the middle of the street, he saw a neighbor walk over to a box that read “Use these gloves to handle this job”. His neighbor pulled out a pair of vinyl powder free gloves, placed them on his hands and assisted the helpless child. The handyman looked quietly at his hands and thought “Had I only used the gloves that were provided for each job, I would still have complete use of my hands”. As he stood quietly staring at his hands that were now permanently mounted with indestructible metal, cement gloves, he overheard a neighbor say “Each situation provides you with the gloves by which it should be handled.

self help
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