The " Go To " Guy

Yesterday I was informed that some shingles had blown off of my sons' house. We are expecting rain so something needed to be done. Now I don't know how or why exactly but I've always be the "go to" guy for situations like this. So it is off to the hardware store for a tarp,grab some roofing nails and get the ladder out.
Up on the roof and get that area covered up before the rain hits. The contractor that built the house is not available until Monday so a temporary solution was required.
I don't mind doing these things,fact is I kinda enjoy it,and the weather was nice and warm. A bit breezy though so handling the tarp was a little tricky. The grandson wasn't feeling well,he usually helps,so the granddaughter took his place. Kids are easily amused by things and going up on the roof was an exciting thing for her even though she stayed on the ground. I was talking away to her explaining how roofing is done. Might come in handy someday. Seeing me climb the ladder she suggested I should be a fireman. After all that is what firemen do most.
I've always been that guy you call if something is broken or you are in a jam. Vacuum don't work,call Ben.
Car won't start or the tire is flat call Ben. All things change with time and this is no exception. Technology has advanced and a lot of things cannot be repaired anymore. The days of  jury rigging are fading away. Still it is good to know how things work. Armed with that knowledge you may be able to get something going again at least temporarily.
I am always amused by people that don't have a clue. My son drives his car,yet has no clue about how it works. Changing a tire is a technical challenge to him. He has no interest in mechanical things and never has.
He is very good at what he does but that doesn't include mechanical things. He pays someone to change the oil in his vehicle. I find that baffling. Why would I pay to have somebody do that ? It is so easy to do.
I guess growing up having to do everything yourself is where this comes from. If you needed something fixed you just fixed it yourself. If you were lucky you could afford to buy the necessary part or materials. Sometimes that in itself was a struggle. We learned to make do.
The way things are today you can't do that stuff as much. There are a lot of rules and regulations to be followed. Permits required for everything. A lot of items can not be fixed anymore and you have no choice but to replace them. More and more everyday it would cost more to repair it than to replace it anyway.
Very seldom do I hire anyone to do anything in the way of repairing anything. On those rare occasions that I do I feel very uneasy about it. If you want something done right,do it yourself. When it comes to fixing things I have trust issues. I'm not the type to say anything to you directly but I'm seldom satisfied. It is something that is just ingrained in me. I'd rather spend days figuring out how to fix something than pay someone to do it.
Really it is not that I'm cheap but I just have to do it. As I get older though this obsession is getting to be less. Gradually I'm learning to let someone else do whatever needs to be done. Its' a good thing.