Search For The Craftsmen- They Are The Artisans of the Heart by Pennie Hunt

I have a stairway in my home. It isn’t a normal straight-down or L-shaped stairway. It floats in a majestic curve. The oak arches as if the tree it was created from swayed in the wind like a ballerina practicing this permanent pose. When I walk down it, I feel like royalty with my diamond-studded gown flowing behind me while the ballroom waits for me below. Each golden step glistens and cascades to the next. It is a masterpiece of construction.

That fantasy is not quite reality. Most of the time I am running up and down my stairs to let my dogs in or out, looking for my husband, or doing household chores. The idea of a flowing gown would be a disaster as the wooden stairs are slick and can be dangerous. But it is a masterpiece of construction and beauty.

For the eight years we have lived in this home we have ping-ponged the idea of carpeting them for safety with the fear of covering the beauty of the steps. After a couple of near slips, we decided carpet would be a wise move.

We contacted our local flooring company. The appraiser came to measure. After an hour of looking at the staircase from every angle, he was baffled as to how to carpet the steps and match a pattern with the curve of the grand staircase.

We ultimately connected with an out-of-town company that had experience with staircases like ours. When they arrived to measure and assess the job they were confident they could accomplish what we wanted. The father, Bob, and son, Heath, were caring, and thoughtful. I soon became secure in their expertise.

After waiting for the carpet to arrive, the holidays to be over, and the weather to clear, the installation day came. Bob, Heath, and an additional installer named Jim arrived shortly after the sun came up. Carefully they brought all their equipment inside and carried it downstairs. They set up a system of one measuring and laying the pad, one cutting the carpet and running the serger machine to finish the edges, and one installing the carpet.

One stair at a time they measured the curve, matched the pattern in the carpet, finished the edges, and secured it firmly to the wood. Methodically they worked throughout the day.
I listened.

I listened to the pounding of the nails, the snap of the tape measure, and the humming of the serger machine. This created a harmonic background to the gentle voices of the three men.

Occasionally I would peek down the stairway to see the progress. The carpet was creating a path of beauty. The pattern turned perfectly with the curve of each step. Our fear of covering the wood was pleasantly squelched. On each side of the carpet the wood still glistened, and the railing and riser of each step was more than enough wood to appreciate the curve and beauty of the construction.

As they finished the top and final stair the coolness of evening had arrived. They collected their equipment, took a few photos, and were ready to leave. We gathered at the front door for a long goodbye. By the time the door closed behind them I felt like I was watching friends drive away. Throughout the day we shared stories, compared lives, and became friends.

They weren’t just workers who had come into our home to do a job. These were masters of their craft. They were artisans skilled in the techniques of their art. They had an ear for listening and understanding our needs. They had the talent to manipulate their machinery to match the level of their skill, equal to a master painter gliding a brush across the canvas.

But most importantly they had an understanding of the human heart. They put their hearts into the project and worked with pride and precision. And they understood the desire of our hearts to keep the integrity and beauty of the stairway while making it safer and even more elegant.

I will never walk down this stairway wearing a diamond-studded gown, but I will never walk down my stairway without thinking of my friends, the master craftsmen who taught me lessons that day. The lessons of how to listen, how to create, and how to do it all with the understanding of the heart.
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                                                     Pennie’s Life Lesson:
                                              Search for the craftsmen.
                                     The ones who work with their hearts. 
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YOUR TURN...        
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