One particular task I was given while working maintenance was to locate a leak in an underground waterline. My boss showed me where he thought it may be located, handed me a shovel, and said "it's probably not buried too deep, so dig slowly."
As a headstrong and independent seventeen year old boy, "slowly" was not a word in my vocabulary.
As I pierced the rock embedded soil of NE Pennsylvania with the round point of the shovel, I decided there may be a better tool for the job. I hiked up to the tool shed and found myself a pick. I made my way back to where I began to dig and with all my might buried that pick into the ground, pulled, and loosened up the dirt. I was feeling pretty proud of myself for this brilliant and quick solution, until the fourth swing. As I swung the pick into the ground for the fourth time I felt a thud, and it occurred to me that it may not be just the soil, and that I had found the buried water-line. Unconvinced that I had hit the waterline, I yanked on the pick handle, and it came loose, with a burst of water behind it, slapping me in the face, knocking me back, off balance, and drenching me with water and mud. I quickly tried to put my hand over the spray, but the pressure was too much, and it just got me more wet as I stumbled around wondering what I was going to do, and how I was going to explain this. Soon, the water pressure subsided to a trickle, and I looked around to see who was watching my foolishness. As I canvased the area, I looked over to see my boss standing at the shut off valve, head hung, looking at me, and then the wet ground.
That day I learned three things:
1. Think things through, develop a plan, listen, and take advice, as my solution is not always the best one.
2. It's important to select the right tool for the job.
3. How to repair an inch and a half poly waterline.
The simple truth is that we often make mistakes in haste. Mistakes are not "failures" unless we refuse to learn each and every day.
Until next time.
-Luke
As I pierced the rock embedded soil of NE Pennsylvania with the round point of the shovel, I decided there may be a better tool for the job. I hiked up to the tool shed and found myself a pick. I made my way back to where I began to dig and with all my might buried that pick into the ground, pulled, and loosened up the dirt. I was feeling pretty proud of myself for this brilliant and quick solution, until the fourth swing. As I swung the pick into the ground for the fourth time I felt a thud, and it occurred to me that it may not be just the soil, and that I had found the buried water-line. Unconvinced that I had hit the waterline, I yanked on the pick handle, and it came loose, with a burst of water behind it, slapping me in the face, knocking me back, off balance, and drenching me with water and mud. I quickly tried to put my hand over the spray, but the pressure was too much, and it just got me more wet as I stumbled around wondering what I was going to do, and how I was going to explain this. Soon, the water pressure subsided to a trickle, and I looked around to see who was watching my foolishness. As I canvased the area, I looked over to see my boss standing at the shut off valve, head hung, looking at me, and then the wet ground.
That day I learned three things:
1. Think things through, develop a plan, listen, and take advice, as my solution is not always the best one.
2. It's important to select the right tool for the job.
3. How to repair an inch and a half poly waterline.
The simple truth is that we often make mistakes in haste. Mistakes are not "failures" unless we refuse to learn each and every day.
Until next time.
-Luke
No comments:
Post a Comment