When I got to the house where I was working today, Roy the electrician was installing a recessed light fixture into a vaulted ceiling. I had to stop and observe and of course I had a few questions. (So naturally he assumed I was the "lady of the house.")

He was on the "this-is-not-a-step" step while reaching high above him to insert the light canister. To make the whole action seem more precarious to me, Roy was wearing tube socks like thumbless mittens. I didn't speak, afraid that if I startled him he might lose his balance. He was trying to get the slanted canister to line up with the slant of the ceiling. He had obviously had enough experience to make him relaxed on his tremulous perch.

When he came down a step or two I asked about the tube socks. They were to protect the freshly painted ceiling and shiny new canister light from dings and fingerprints. The canister was one especially designed for the increasingly more common vaulted ceiling. He looked at his work and was not satisfied, so we mounted the ladder to the top again for a miniscule adjustment to the canister.

It got me thinking about ladder safety. The other day when I took my friend up on the roof for our lunch, I was nervous about the ladder. I had climbed it before and even double checked the anchors on the ground. I was sure the ladder could handle my weight and the added heft of the burritos. The angle looked safe and the ladder extended well beyond the line of the roof. But the reason I felt OK climbing was because I had the most important piece of safety equipment with me: another person to dial 911 if I fell.

When I climbed a ladder to get into an attic on another job, I had to stand on the "this-is-not-a-step" step. I remember that day Don suggested someone get out their cell phone and just dial 9-1 to be ready. But unlike Roy, I was partway into the attic and could hold those edges for support. He was stretched out like a yogi.

Taking risks gets easier with experience. When you are not used to it, everything seems so dangerous. If, however, you know there will be someone to help scrape you up if you fail, it seems a little safer to take that risk. My favorite band, The Indigo Girls, has a song that says, "The higher the leap, the harder the ground." I'd rather leap than stay safe on the ground.