If a man is lazy, the rafters sag;<\/strong> Some years ago I had occasion to return to a neighborhood of a childhood friend. The houses were a generation older now and a bit run down. The grounds were unkempt and there was all manner of clutter. I figured it was just the way it goes . . . it’s just the 2nd law of thermodynamics.<\/p>\n You’ll remember the first law, the one that states that nothing new is being created. (I don’t hear that one quoted so much these days and the word “created” is a political no-no in certain circles.)<\/p>\n But the second law, who could refute? The one that says all matter deteriorates, all energy runs down; things rust, die, go back to dust.<\/p>\n It’s an easily observable fact of life.<\/p>\n But as I continued on down the street I came across one house that stood out for its cleanness. It had good paint, a manicured yard, no clutter. It was the epitome of neatness, and all the more distinctive for the setting it was in.<\/p>\n What it spoke of was the people who lived inside.<\/p>\n I never saw them, or anybody else that day. But the difference between these neighbors was obvious. All the houses were old, all were built at the same time. For most, the second law was taking over, but the one that stood out as exception proved it didn’t have to be that way.<\/p>\n What was the difference? A decision to do something. A low tolerance for clutter. Somebody’s better self-esteem. In the end, it was energy . . . human energy . . . confronting the downward cycle and taking time for and expenditure on\u00a0maintenance and renewal.<\/p>\n Three cheers for the maintenance man, the one who keeps things working, moving, looking good.<\/p>\n I’ve not just been in neighborhoods, but whole countries, where the maintenance man is not esteemed. Or he isn’t there. Or he’s sleeping late. Or waiting for someone else. Like the government. Or whatever.<\/p>\n In truth, what with the overwhelming forces of that 2nd thermodynamic law, it’s heartening that we have any influence on it at all. But we do.<\/p>\n That is, if we can overcome that same law within ourselves.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n _____________ Born for action and to walk upright, it’s so easy to succumb to the prone. And then what . . . ?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[4],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hyattmoore.com\/blank-slate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5130"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hyattmoore.com\/blank-slate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hyattmoore.com\/blank-slate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hyattmoore.com\/blank-slate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hyattmoore.com\/blank-slate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5130"}],"version-history":[{"count":21,"href":"https:\/\/www.hyattmoore.com\/blank-slate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5130\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10742,"href":"https:\/\/www.hyattmoore.com\/blank-slate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5130\/revisions\/10742"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hyattmoore.com\/blank-slate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5130"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hyattmoore.com\/blank-slate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5130"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hyattmoore.com\/blank-slate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5130"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nIf his hands are idle, the house leaks.*<\/strong><\/p>\n
\n*Ecclesiastes 10:18<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"