Is a Pipeliner born or bred?

Pipeliners - The first 50 years of childhood are the hardest.

Listen, I'm a normal, everyday kind of guy and put on my pants like everyone else. The difference is that I'm lucky enough to build pipelines immediately once they are on.

So how did my parents know my siblings and I were destined for life on the pipeline? I'm not sure, but I can share some questions you can ask yourself as you think about your children. Are they task-oriented and like to get 'er done? Do they care about the environment? Safety? Do they like seeing hills and trees and then more hills and trees in an exotic location like Fox Creek, Chetwynd, or Zama? If you've answered yes to any of these questions, then let me be the first to congratulate you; you may have a future pipeliner on your hands. Well done.

As an adult, I realize that my parents may have known quite early that I was meant to be a pipeliner. How did they know? There were subtle hints and whispers that I can now see more clearly through the lens of time.

I remember my parents discussing my Halloween costume in 2nd grade. I heard my dad say to my mom, "Listen, I meet these guys every day at work, and if we dress up this kid as a welder, he won't even get out of the truck."

Then I would eventually attempt to navigate the uncertain waters of romance for the first time with my father. My awkward birds and the bee's conversation consisted of my father sitting me down, looking me in the eye, and telling me, "Listen, man, just wine 'em, dine 'em, pipeline 'em. Now get out there and smoke some darts and break some hearts, you crazy kid". Looking back, I suppose that would have been a confusing chat for any 8-year-old.

I recall after getting my heart broken the first time, my older brother, concerned, sat with me and "are you ok? You haven't talked about pipelines once today."

My mom was speaking at my wedding, with her glass raised and her eyes welling with tears, told of the day she knew for sure I was a pipeliner. I was only 12 working in the garage one winter, and I hit my finger with a hammer, and she heard my colorful weave tapestry of profanity so large that it could have blanketed the community in its warmth that day.

Now I know what you're thinking. Hearing my story is just like listening to someone read you from a book about your own. Why is that? Because the bonds kids create at summer camps are the same ones forged on in the Pipeline Industry. The only difference is that these bonds of friendship don't last a summer; they last years and decades in many cases. Even when we have never met, these are my pipeline brothers and sisters.

Well, in an industry that has embraced me like an extended family, I would like to share some parting advice for any considering a career in the pipeline. My granma passed these to me; now, I share them with you with love. Anytime you find yourself lost and wonder what to be in a sometimes unkind and even cruel world, and when you can choose to be anything, choose to be a Pipeliner.

By David Hermanson, written for Pipeline Tales Magazine (Issue 1 March 2022, www.piashaconsulting.com)