Thomas Merton wrote, “Let us be proud of the words that are given to us for nothing.”

Are these the words of our mentors? Advice, recollections, narratives, do-as-I-say-not-as-I-do. Words that are hard earned from another place, but free in the offering in which we receive them. Things weren’t always as they are. You know, when I was younger. Keep your head up, kid. Listen. This is something holy.

A mentor sees something special in the apprentice. Or something special in the moment of offering. Maybe it is a knack for hard work, or a lack of hard work, a hunger for knowledge, a habit for not making the same mistake twice. Or an ear for listening to the sound of thrifty words. A mentor can show us faith in this way.

The trades are full of old friends. I like the trades in that sense, and especially the arboriculture trade. For me, arboriculture is filled with old friends wherever I go to work. And wherever I am, I can get a call, a text or an email: how’s it going over there? And much like our favorite books, an old friend always has something new for us. I find that my old friends are always giving me words for nothing. Mentors are old friends like that.

I have old friends that have told me a million different things, showed me just as many. What would be some things in particular? Always answer the phone. Everyone loves a good deal. Never trust a fart.

That stuff is generic, sure, but it’s true, and lots of times we get it for free. And that is something we can be proud of.