Wednesday, November 22, 2017

Be Thankful, Prime the Pump

Historical Photo:
                          1936 Ohio River flood, Louisville, KY

This is Thanksgiving day 2017!
I remember learning to prime a hand pump at grandpa Hilly’s home in North Georgia. Priming meant pouring in a small amount of water to cause a suction then the handle was activated and pull the water up from the source at the bottom of the well.
As a child one of the first examples of priming the human pump I ever saw, was at Silver Springs, Florida. I have related this here before, but it fits here also. As a child Dad took the family to Silver Springs. It was especially interesting to me because the glass bottom boat skipper in telling the history of the spring said much of the Tarzan movies was filmed here. There were still monkeys in the trees from those days.
At the end of the short boat trip, we docked and everyone stood to exit. I was still looking around when I saw the skipper take a fifty cent piece and throw it in the glass bottom portion of the boat and say loudly, “Thank you sir, thank you sir!” At that time the passengers starting digging into their pockets and wallets for money to throw into the boat as a tip. Had the man not ‘primed the pump’ (invested 50 cents, he would have received nothing as a tip).

There is a true statement, “To have friends, you must first show yourself friendly.”(Prime the pump)

There is a story and a song about a man finally escaping the desert after being lost. Outside an abandoned shack he sees a pump. In the shade of the pump he sees a tin can filled with water. There is a faded note. DO NOT drink this water. Use it to prime the pump and you will have all the fresh cool water you want, but if you drink this, it will be all you or anyone else will get from this well. When you finish, fill the can. Trust me, prime the pump!
The man debated, what if the prime doesn’t work? Etc.  He finally primed the pump, and got his water. Now to Thanksgiving! So BE THANKFUL, It will cause someone else to be thankful. (help someone, touch someone)
There is a lesson there somewhere.
Nite Shipslog
Our body:
Every human spent about half an hour after being conceived, as a single cell. Shortly afterward, the cells begin rapidly dividing and begin forming the components of a tiny embryo.


(I might have missed some of ‘em important cells!)

The little guy didn't wait for all his cells before he was born.


8 comments:

Rick Watson said...

I love that metaphor. Priming the pump.
R

Paula said...

Prime the Pump, there sure is a lesson here, thanks.

TARYTERRE said...

HAPPY THANKSGIVING.

Chatty Crone said...

I liked that! Priming the pump!

betty said...

Good lesson in trust to use the water in the can to prime the pump to get much more drinking water. Hope you all had a nice day!

betty

I'm mostly known as 'MA' said...

I do have a memory of priming a pump. For years my grandparents had to draw water from a well outside and at some point they were able to modernize and got a pump right by the kitchen sink. It's hard to believe but this did make their lives easier. You had to prime it to get it started in the morning. A water pail and dipper always sat by the sink and there is where the water for priming came from. I'm so thankful for running water! Most don't realized just how blessed we are. Happy Thanksgiving !

Lisa said...

Great story example! I have seen a hand water pump but never used one.
Hope you guys had a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Working
Lisa

Mevely317 said...

"Prime the Pump" is something I've heard all my life, but I never paused to consider what it meant. Those are great examples ... particularly the one about giving thanks. Pass it on!