A Lesson From My Sink

We may have to stop doing certain things by ourselves. Especially those things that other people specialize in and are dependent on for a living. We are an impoverished nation, and those of us who have jobs shall, in our own little way, help create jobs for others.

I learned in our Economics class back in college that it makes for a healthy economy when money changes hands regularly. I’m not very sure, though, if I understood it correctly. When money goes around, people’s needs are answered. The sandwich we buy answers our hunger and the seller’s need to earn for her own requirements.

The plumber who lives in my neighborhood would have earned a hundred bucks at least had I called him when my sink clogged up a few weekends ago. Instead, I chose to fix it myself. I thought that it’s good to be self-sustaining and independent. I knew I’m no plumber, but I knew too that clearing the sink’s piping of solid deposits is not rocket science.

My other reason for doing it myself was to save money. I thought all it needed was a bottle of liquid dissolvent, which cost less than fifty pesos. Even if I did call a plumber, he would still have asked me to supply the liquid solution. And I would still have to pay for his labor.

The amount I’d save could already buy me two large cups of steamed fried rice with meat toppings at my favorite dimsum restaurant in the mall. This was what I had in my mind as I began to manually pump into the drain hole, to rid the adjoining pipe of excess water. And, boy, the pumping alone was already some work!

Then I poured in a good portion of the liquid dissolvent. The instruction said, “Allow 5 minutes after pouring, for the solution to fully penetrate the solid deposits. Put the drain stopper in place and fill the sink to the brim with water. Release the drain stopper to flush the now liquefied substances underneath.”  I did all that. But it did not flush away the problem.

It took about 30 minutes for the water to drain. Again I had to pump out manually what remained. It seemed I got it wrong, so I re-checked the instruction on the dissolvent container. A line at the end read, “If it does not work the first try, repeat the whole procedure until the water drains smoothly.” 

So I did it again. In fact, again and again until the water began to flow a little bit more freely. It was not yet what I had earlier imagined to come out of my effort, but it was a bit better, at least. I spent a whole day on such menial task and got really tired.

It would have taken an experienced plumber half the time, or less, to do a much better job. I exhausted myself unnecessarily and wasted my time on something that was not within my area of expertise. But don’t blame me; it first looked so easy. 

Musing over that experience now, I think it’s wise to draw the line. If I write and make movies and someone does plumbing, then it should be that way. It’s certainly going to drive me crazy if a plumber tries to write and make movies. So why do I have to try doing his job?

If I could start that day all over again, I‘d call for the plumber to unclog my sink. I’d be doing something else that’s worth more than a hundred bucks. My day will surely be more pleasant and less exhausting. And I may still have the time and the money to enjoy two large cups of steamed fried rice with meat toppings at my favorite dimsum restaurant in the mall.

I think we all need to get over the notion that the other person is asking too much for what he does. Even if a plumber asks two hundred fifty pesos for a mere sink job, let’s pay his price, especially if he’s a good plumber. We won’t be calling in a plumber everyday anyway, so it’s okay to overpay him a bit just to be sure he’s still there the next time we need him.

Let us stop the mentality that if we can make movies or design buildings or do open heart surgeries, definitely we can also do the more simple jobs like plumbing or carpentry. Even if it’s true that we can, let’s not rob the poor fellow of his job. If plumbers and carpenters and others like them turn to other jobs because no one calls them anymore, it may soon become the job of architects and engineers to paint by themselves the skyscrapers they build.

We can easily set up a clothesline all by ourselves or change the bulb of the table lamp. We don’t need an expert to do things like those for us. But if it’s the house door that needs repair, let’s call a carpenter, or an electrician when the main fuse is busted.

The next time my sink clogs up, I’ll call the plumber to fix it.  In fact, I’ve already told him to come next week and see what he could do for my sink. I promise to pay the guy a fair amount for his labor. I say fair, not fantastic. I’m not a rocket scientist.