Tag: Zen

#5 – Ken Wendel

This one... actually isn't too bad. Huh.

Ken Wendel is a Zen Plumber.

This doesn’t mean that he goes and sits and meditates on your plumbing problems, of course. He doesn’t light incense or chant at your toilet. The would be ridiculous. But he tries to take a Zen approach to life and the problems of life, especially in his profession.

There are certain problems that can be solved, and certain ones that cannot. For the ones that cannot be solved, it is pointless to worry about them as a solution will never be found. For those that can be – which usually includes plumbing – it is also pointless to worry, because a solution can be found. The key to wisdom is knowing which is which. In addition, he believes that life is, in many ways, like plumbing:

“We want our lives to flow like water through pipes. Free, without blockages or disturbances. And when that doesn’t happen – when the pipes are blocked or the parts don’t work and things start to overflow, we need to seek help. To remove those blocks, to fix what doesn’t work, and let our lives proceed again without impedance. When you do, you find that you’re able to go on with your life again, properly thankful for the way things should be.”

While he’s never been to Japan or studied under a proper Zen teacher, Ken has found a certain peace in the way that he has chosen to look at life. He tries his best to pass that on to his customers, who, while they may be a little unsettled by his Zen-ness, find that he does good work and charges a fair price.

Read the story here: The Proper Flow of Things