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My wife and teenage son belong to a local Tae Kwon Do club where they learn the strict rules of the discipline. The head instructor of the club is a highly-ranked black belt whose Tae Kwon Do title is “Sabumnim.” Away from class Sabumnim is a plumber named Dave.
One day, after making several futile attempts to unclog a blocked pipe, I called Dave to ask if he could stop by and take care of it. An hour later, he pulled up in his truck just as we were going out the door. As he came up the walk, my wife and son, ever mindful of their martial-arts etiquette, stood rigidly at attention and bowed deeply from the waist. Dave gave a quick nod in return and went on into the house. Just then, I saw my next-door neighbor standing in his yard, watching us with a perplexed look on his face. “Wow,” he said. “That guy must be one great plumber!”
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