Various sights capture my attention while I gaze out of my office window. A hummingbird feeder is positioned so I can enjoy the beautiful creatures as they drink nectar. The sidewalk is in full view so I can notice visitors coming to the front door. Neighbors pass by walking their dogs. On a cool morning, a new sight appeared. I was surprised to see “fire hydrant protectors”.
A white pickup truck arrived in slow motion. Two men left the vehicle. One held large papers that could have been a map. The other person wore a hard hat. They opened the back of the truck and placed the documents on the bed. Looking down, each man pointed to spots on the paper.
Another truck pulled up behind the first one. Four men left that vehicle. Each person wore protective outerwear, including a mask and gloves. My curiosity was getting the best of me. I wanted to know about these people and why they were in our neighborhood. Watching intently, I witnessed something I’d never seen.
The two men in the first truck appeared to be the leaders. Motioning with their hands, they pointed to a fire hydrant. Next, the four men from the other vehicle moved. The scene looked like an action movie.
Each person had an assignment. Two leaders. Four workers. I sat in amazement at what happened next. With precision and dedication, each guy went to work completing his task. The first guy retrieved a tarp from the back of the truck. The second guy brought out a huge can with a long hose. The third guy used spray paint to mark a circle around the fire hydrant. Then, the first and second men held up the tarp next to the hydrant. The second guy began spraying a dull brownish-gray color on the hydrant.
The men holding the tarp ensured that no paint would land on our neighbor’s vehicles parked in their driveway. What a great method! Everyone had a job.
They worked quickly and efficiently. Moving like stealth figures, their work was completed in a few minutes. The men entered their vehicles again and moved to the next hydrant.
Before I could complain to my husband about the new color of the hydrants, another vehicle arrived and the answer was provided. This team was waiting for the fresh paint to dry. Next, a fresh bright red was applied.
I was so impressed with how the teams worked together to complete their tasks.
Their efforts were greatly rewarded with a job well done.
The men never knew I was sitting in my office watching their every move. I’m thankful for their hard work and attention to detail. Yes, there was a bit of red paint on the grass, but that will disappear when Spring arrives and the yard covers begin growing.
How hard do we work at our jobs or passions? What happens when we work together to share His love? Do we pay attention to the way we interact with others?
I pray that I work as hard as those men painting the fire hydrants. I pray that the glory of God will always shine in my words and actions.
Have a blessed day,
Mimi aka Melissa Henderson.
Tweet
Great story. Wish I could have seen that.
I always say that it doesn’t take much to amuse me. haha! I see some interesting things while looking out of the office/playroom window. Have a blessed day! 🙂
Melissa, I love your articles and stories. I would have been watching their every move too. Sometimes it is fun to have some action outside of our windows as we work hard all day. Much love, Karen
Thank you Karen. I love watching the happenings outside. I especially love to watch the hummingbirds and other birds. 🙂 Have a blessed day! 🙂
I’ve never watched someone paint a fire hydrant. Thought-provoking questions! The glory of God shines through your words, my friend. 😊
Thank you Gail. I enjoyed watching those guys work and paint the fire hydrant. God gives us unique gifts and talents and even painting fire hydrants is a gift. 🙂 Have a blessed week!
I usually hear people complain about the number of people standing around watching when such tasks as these are completed. It is so nice to hear your complimentary description of this group’s work. Thanks for the day brightener.
Thank you Katherine. I love watching people. 🙂 Have a blessed day! 🙂
Watching a fire hydrant get painted is something I’ve never witnessed. But I agree, working hard and with others to bring the gospel to the world is a noble deed. You do bring Him the glory in all you do. Love you ❤️
Thank you Karen. I am fascinating by many things. Watching a fire hydrant being painted is one of those things. haha! Have a blessed day! 🙂
Great story, Melissa. I heard that a fire hydrant painted red means that its water-flow capacity is fewer that 500 gallons per minute as opposed to orange which means it’s 500-999 gallons per minute. Not sure if that’s correct or not.
Thank you June. I didn’t know those facts about fire hydrants. Thanks for the information. Have a blessed weekend! 🙂 Hugs.
Enjoyed this post, Melissa. Your introduction was so riveting, it pulled me in, making me wonder what was going to happen, too. 🙂 Once we bought a house with a flower garden and bradford pear tear encircled with stone in the front yard. And guess what? Ther was a working fire hydrant on one end of the garden with flowers all around it. I’m not sure if the former owners did it on purpose. But it was comical to watch the fire department come to test it or fix it when there was a small drip leaking. They would try to tip toe carefully around the hydrant or attempt to reach it from outside the stone–from the grass.
Thank you Karen. Wow, that’s interesting that the fire hydrant had flowers all around it. I love flowers. 🙂 Thanks for sharing that story. Have a blessed weekend! 🙂
It’s funny what we can notice when we take the time to look and truly pay attention!
Yes. Yes. Pausing and paying attention can reveal precious treasures. Have a blessed day! 🙂
Wonderful post! As Christians, we can learn many lessons from these dedicated community workers. Lord, help us work together to accomplish much for your kingdom!
Thank you Melissa. Amen. we can learn many lessons from dedicated workers. Have a blessed day! 🙂
What an awesome sight. I never knew the process for painting hydrants. I wish your grandkids would have seen it. Thanks Melissa.
I wish the grands could have seen the workers, too. Lots of great lessons in painting hydrants. Have a blessed week! 🙂
I would have been curious about what they were doing, too, and watched from behind the window. What a great example of teamwork. I wonder what the reasoning is for going from yellow to red.
I’m fascinated with watching the happenings outside of my window. God shows me many things. 🙂 Have a blessed day!
The tarp idea is great. I worked at a construction company in my younger, more agile, days. I can’t tell you how many times we got calls about paint on cars!! (Fortunately most of my work was inside punch work so I didn’t get chewed out but I sure heard others suffering that fate.) They were always in too much of a rush to do it properly.
Memories from long, long ago, forgotten till now.
Blessings, my friend~🤗💖
Wow, sorry for the grammatical and spelling errors. I should have proofread the post before hitting send, lol😉
No worries. Have a wonderful day! 🙂
Thank you for reading and commenting. You are so sweet! Have a blessed day! 🙂
This is a wonderful illustration of when we each work using our God-given skills, we work together in harmony. It’s when we cross into another person’s path that we shouldn’t be on that we can cause harm to the whole process!
Thank you Lynn. Working together in harmony can be a great example of sharing God’s love. Have a blessed day! 🙂
What a fun event to get to see, Melissa! I bet your Grandchildren would have loved to see it with you. You truly do stir up togetherness in all those around you, dear friend. Whether it’s your various writing projects, your family sharing, or your church connections, you help to spir us on to look for Jesus in our days! Thank you so much. I pray you feel His favor today! ❤️❤️❤️
Thank you so much dear friend. Grandchildren bring out the child in me. 🙂 Have a blessed and glorious weekend! Hugs!