I have a fascination with fire hydrants. When I was a kid I have a strong memory of a hot day, a spewing fountain and kids playing in the street. The fireman had opened one of the caps and the water made a blowing mist and a rainbow that worked like a kid magnet. I have a ton of pictures of them from around the world. I just can’t resist.
I walked up to this one while walking in the Cain Center. The water was draining out and pooling in the parking lot. I stood and looked at it for a while. The first thing I noticed was the wrench. The last person who had worked on it left it leaning against the side. I considered the leak, the lake and the leverage needed to tighten the cap. I picked up the wrench. I attached it to the outlet cap’s nut. I put some energy into the metal. It did not move. I stopped quickly. I wondered which ways these threads move. Is it righty tight? If not, am I about to unleash a tourney of water upon myself? Is this cap going to come shooting off and injured me? I set the wrench down. Then I looked at the top operating nut, that is what releases the water, was it closed? Was it pressurized. I decided that my Good Samaritan instincts were not what I need to be listening to.
I took a picture and sent it to a contact in the city government. They passed it along. I will go check tonight to see what happened.
Ive been looking at the picture. There are at least three distinctive colors that this hydrant has worn: red, yellow and green. Its like a little traffic light sitting on the ground. I’m a big fan of red hydrants. That seems to be the “right” color. This poor little guy needs to get a makeover.
Lots of things leak. Our energy leaks, our vision leaks, or commitments leak. Time and culture shift and what we were committed to fades not only the public eye, but our own awareness. Sometimes we need to tighten the leak ourselves. We need to notice and do something about it - are you paying attention to your own spiritual load? Is it too light? Is it too heavy? Sometimes we are almost unaware of the lowering internal pressure, we don’t see the runoff pond and it takes someone else to speak into our lives - to who are you listening? Sometimes we reach the end of what we can do, we can’t tighten it anymore and we need to call in help. Last week, I was struck by these words in Deuteronomy, 1:31, “the Lord your God carried you, as a father carries his son, all the way you went until you reached this place.” Look inside, listen well, let God lift you up.