Saturday I had the opportunity to do something I’d never done before. As I pass through the years of my life, like the weights slowly dropping through the inside of a grandfather clock, finding completely new things to do grows more and more difficult. Life passes just like that, as barely noticeable as the weights dropping through the clock, until one day you realize that you’re out of time. I just realized how much I would like to pull the chain and lift the weights a bit, even a few inches would be nice.

But, alas, that is not an option. These weights only go down and no one knows how long their chain might be. Tick, tock.

I suppose that’s why we need to set off our chimes every so often, just to let everyone else know we’re still hanging in there, although a mite lower than a few moments ago.

And once in a while, it might be good to let off a clamor and a clang, just to shake a little of the dust loose.

Anyway, I tried something new Saturday: helping to wire a fire alarm system. One of my friends is a professional with multiple years experience in the field and he volunteered his time to wire our new church.

He had already spent two days working on the task, giving up his piece work pay for his time in the process.

At first, I had thought this kind of work would be exceptionally easy. I have spent some time wiring electrical boxes, including completely wiring a mobile home. I have also routed wiring for a barn and a few outbuildings, so it surprised me to realize the various complexities with installing a fire alarm system. Thankfully, I didn’t have to do any of the thinking part, I was the guy who put in the boxes, drilled holes through the studs and routed wires to their appropriate homes for pull stations, warning strobes and door sensors. The system also included an intercom, which I also helped wire.

This stage of wiring is called “pre-wiring” and it involves getting most of the wires put into their places.

Finishing items like the actual pull handles, the alarm system panel box, and heat and smoke sensors will come later after drywall and other finishing work is completed.

I was impressed with my friends attention to detail, which far surpasses my own. He neatly bundled wires into cords using zip ties and attached the wiring to the ceiling. Everywhere a wire ran down the wall, it was stapled or steepled in place, neatly along the edge of the studs.

When I wire, it usually goes every which way. I wish I were more neat like that sometimes. His way of doing things is also very orderly, well thought out and cautious.

He seldom seemed to be working very hard. Indeed, he usually looked like he was having a good time.

I should do my work with joy more often, I thought to myself. After all, most of us spend more time working than we do at leisure. Between jobs that I do to earn money and sleep my body requires to function, about two-thirds of my time is gone. With a portion of the remainder spent at rest, that leaves very little time for elective actions, and all those don’t turn out to be fun. It was then that I decided I would try to spend more time smiling and enjoying myself, regardless of the circumstances.

Standing on a ladder in an unheated building on a Saturday routing wires into metal boxes isn’t most people’s idea of a good time, but the jovial atmosphere and friendly camaraderie lent itself to making the situation seem more like recreation than toil. Of course, the fact that we were both volunteering to help the church tended to help improve our outlook on the matter. Even so, my friend shares his happy countenance most places he goes. He is almost always positive and upbeat about life, a fact that I strive to understand.

At least until he got the phone calls. We had been working for a few hours when he got a call with concerns about the type of intercom system we were wiring. The intercom was one designed to talk to all the units at once, but the desire was for one that could pinpoint locations. “But different systems often require different wiring,” he told the caller. “I told (so and so) that the system did that.....What do you mean you don’t remember me saying that?”

Soon, I was embroiled in a mini controversy which reminded me of the days when I worked in construction. The constant changes and aggravations all came flooding back to me as I listened while routing the little red wires into each individual box.

After about an hour of back and forth, they figured everything out — at least well enough for us to go back to work. We then broke for lunch and came back to finish with the second floor of the building. After just working a few minutes, my friend asked me what was wrong. I had apparently lapsed into my serious face as I worked. That led me to decide that, although smiling is a good idea, if a serious face helps your balance, it’s best to use it. I know my mother always stuck her tongue out when threading a needle. I feel sure it must have helped her. We all do things like that, such as making a sour face while trying to get small pieces to fit together or leaning in our seat as our car goes around the curve.

I was tired when we were finished, since I’m not accustomed to that kind of work. Even so, I was glad to help, even if only in a small way. Now that’s something to smile about.

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