Here's the plan.

Most of the jobs begin like a blind date.  You meet people.  You size them up; they size you up.  What's different is that you try not to get screwed.  They have problems; you try to help.  You work hard.  Stuff happens.  You live by your wits.  Sometimes, you do things that make you proud.  Sometimes, you make a friend. 

Since 1976 I've worked small jobs in the construction trades: carpenter, plumber, electrician.  Some jobs last an hour.  Some take months.  That's a lot of blind dates.  And all the time, I was keeping a journal.  For the next year I'm going to remember some of the people, the problems, the craft, the joy and sorrow, day by day.

(This is the first post of a new blog I've started which will run in parallel with this Clear Heart blog.  I call it 365 Jobs.  Each day I'll pluck a job from my journals and try to figure out what happened, what was the larger meaning of the work I did that day.

It's an experiment.  I don't know exactly where it is going.  Please join me.  Come along for the ride.  At first, I'll cross-post each entry in this Clear Heart blog and also in the 365 Jobs blog.  I may also start issuing each new day as a podcast.  We'll see.  Like a lot of construction work, I'll just be learning how to do it as I do it.)

Have a happy new year, folks!