Shawn, "the plumber"

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Shawn, the plumber, came to our house today and installed a new toilet. He also, without asking, tried to unplug a tub that for years has drained slowly. I never even mentioned the tub ... he just did it.

But more than the new toilet and the good work he apparently did, it turns out that Shawn, the 30-something man I know as a plumber, plays the mandolin and guitar. He is self-taught. And listening to his music on the computer, I felt as if it were he who had left me a tip.

Shawn, "the plumber." Sally, "the homemaker and soccer mom." John, "the lawyer and hiker." Even Olivia, "my daughter and college student."

And all the time, unheard, there is the music.
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