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Thursday, January 20, 2011

Life Is Like A Ladder and Some International Ladder Quotes

The Roof Forum is evolving into an interactive advice column so a nickname is due. No play on Hints From Heloise come to mind and Dear Abby would be Dear Jon. No bueno. That could devolve into a 200 and something year congressional tradition of swearing and name calling. If people think legislators are not civil today, well, where's the duels? The fisticuffs? Profane rants on genealogy.

Today we share a little roof philosophical analogy: Life is like a ladder.

You start at the bottom not sure of yourself. With each rung, supposing you got on the tool, you gain confidence and get closer to your perceived goal, the top. As you grow accustomed and begin to mechanically climb like a quadruped, no more like Spiderman, you accelerate.

This is when problems occur. Overconfidence becomes folly if you miss a rung and fall. The higher you are the further you fall and the greater damage is done to your chassis. You pick yourself up and try again but with more caution, sometimes pausing to look back down and see what you've accomplished. Can be scary. Can make you turn back. Some forget the first fall.

You can fall only so many times before your turn is up or the pieces can't be put back together again. Yes, Humpty Dumpty was pushed and a cover up song was coined to draw attention away from the great kings fall.

But we need not be pushed off or up because falling is as human as not flying. If man were meant to climb he would have claws, or suction cup fingers, or jet packs, but yet man does climb.

Most pick a ladder before the ladder picks, or grabs, them. They scale it and are content. Those reaching farther take greater risk for greater reward. But remembering to put one hand up the side of the ladder while the feet propel is the trick. Never let go of the ladder. Never reach, push. If you slip the hands can grasp the sides.

That's the trick you learned after a few bruises or before in the correspondence course "Jon's Ladder." If you order today we'll send you a second one for free. And that's not all. We'll include a six month medical policy in case you fall.

Life is like a ladder. Climbing is difficult. Just when you thought it was safe you see higher and taller ladders than yours. Do you start over? Do you envy?

The answer is contentment my friend. If you don't have that you have nothing. So if you go climb a higher ladder, make sure it is for fun because you could lose everything when you had it all, or at least what you thought was all ...Once Upon a Time... when you were young.

Here are some of my favorite ladder sayings:
Malaysia: After Falling, The ladder falls on you.
(I can vouch for that. Kick 'em when he's down.)

God old American: Success is a ladder that cannot be climbed with your hands in your pockets.
(I can climb a ladder with my hands in my coat pockets.)

Romanian:
When an ass climbs a ladder, we may find wisdom in women.
(I'm not sure how to interpret that)

German and Italian: He who holds the ladder is as bad as the thief.
(The problem is the German holding the ladder is consumed by guilt when finds out what Guido did. And Guido blamed Fritz.)

Yeah America: Ambition is putting a ladder against the sky.
(Our saying are better than every body's.)

How Scottish can a saying be: The thatcher said unto his man, Let's raise this ladder if we can. - But first let's drink, maister.
(No comment, I'm part Scot. Come on laddy, my name is Wright.)

More German realism: He who would climb the ladder must begin at the bottom.
(From experience I'll tell you this is not necessarily true.)

Arab: If someone says "There is a wedding ceremony in the clouds," then the women would soon arrive with their ladders.
(Some would say misogyny and others truth. Depends on your level of ... shut up Jon.)

Polish: He who climbs a ladder, must have his brains in his feet.
(How Polish of me. I'm about a quarter Polish, and that's not the coin value.)

Icelandic: On the ladder to success there is always somebody on the rung above you and who uses your head to steady himself.
(Hey, his feet were frozen and he couldn't tell it was your face. Too bad your tongue got stuck to his boot. See you in the spring Thor.)

Klingon: Employees are the rungs on the ladder to success, don't hesitate to step on them.
( Got to love them. They're so honest.)

South African: A fool is a wise man's ladder.
( Do you stack them?)

Ethiopian: She who does not yet know how to walk, cannot climb a ladder.
(Honey look, the baby's walking, get the ladder. And I thought Indonesian women going back to work in the rice patties right after giving child birth was bad.)

Finally a Chinese saying:The flatterer makes you climb up a tree then takes the ladder away.
(Those guys always blow me away with their profundity.)

Final Chinese quote: He who would climb the ladder must begin at the bottom.
(yeah yeah, and a trip of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Those Chinese make great travel agents. They're a lot like the Germans. They have the same saying, except it's in German.)

All in fun.


Jon Alan Wright

Jon Wright Roofing, Siding, and Windows

1915 Peters Rd., Suite 310

Irving, TX 75061

972.251.1818 Office

214.718.3748 Cell

972.554.8090 Fax

jonwright@jonwrightroofing.com

http://jonwrightroofing.com/

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