Trying to Measure Up

When Mark started working at Duncan Aviation, he was told to bring his own tools to the site. The night before he started, he spruced up his Craftsman tools, packed a good combination square and called it good.

When his coworkers saw the square, though, they called it downright hilarious.

Mark's square measured things in 1/16" increments. He soon found out that, at Duncan, woodworkers have been known to measure projects to the 1/1000th of an inch.

I can't tell you how many times in the past month alone that I have found myself without the right measuring stick.

Take Egypt and Libya, Bahrain and Belarus, for example. The other night, Allison and I were watching the world news, seeing Tripoli unfold and explode before our eyes.

"I would never do that," she said, as she watched protesters clash with the military. "I would stay hidden in my house until it was over."

I told her I would like to think that I'd be willing to take to the streets, if so many important things were on the line.

But, really, what do I know? I certainly don't possess a measuring stick of any worth when it comes to wondering aloud about such things.

The closest measuring stick I've found in all of this was the night the Egyptians took to the streets, celebrating the resignation of Hosni Mubarek. It is utterly irresistible to see a group of common-place strangers hug each other as they realize just what they've managed to accomplish with nary a bomb or a knife or tank. I kind of understood how they felt, flashing back to the raw joy that filled me when the majority of U.S. citizens chose a black man to lead them.

Even then, though, my measuring stick looked measly next to the crowds of Egyptians, many of whom had never known a day of freedom in their lives.

And then there's my friend, whose wonderful, smart, sharp-as-a-tack daughter is struggling mightily with some serious health issues. It is a day-to-day battle for this family, and I can't help but think that they must feel like they are on an isolated island, even with all the other folks out there who would like to build some bridges for them.

Even those who desperately want to help this family quickly realize that their measuring sticks seem both paltry and useless in this situation.

How can I understand a language I have never before heard?

. . . and where can I pick up some new measuring sticks, so that I might start getting to work on these important things?