Something that sticks with me to this very day was Timmy telling me over and over to 'smile dammit!'
Especially on hot days (read: 100+ outside, plus humidity that brings the heat index to 110+, plus it being at least 10 degrees hotter in the trailer, which is basically a steel oven), when we were working (you know, moving furniture), at the first sign of my distress, he never hesitated to stop me (outside of earshot of our customers) and shout 'smile, dammit!' Sometimes, he even added a 'if you can't smile while working, then you should just go sit in the tractor, turn on the A/C, and wait for us to finish.
I would always smile, and keep working. And then forget about smiling because it something was particularly heavy, and because damn it was hot, and because I couldn't concentrate on ANYTHING for more than five minutes (a trait that I still have to do this day), and he would catch me and tell me 'smile, dammit!'
Nowadays my job is (physically) much easier. No matter what stress lands on my head, it's fairly easy to remember to smile, DAMMIT! It's one of the many lessons about working hard and taking pride in that work that Timmy taught me. I only regret that there aren't more lessons to come.
Thanks for the reminder! After spending over 19 years at a job I did not like, I wore a frown by habit. How much better I could have been if I just smiled. Since leaving that job I have gotten better; but I will now keep this in mind as I go through my days. I'm already feeling better! - Rob Putansu
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment. Timmy really was an inspiring man. He was always ready to work, always happy to be the best at what he did, always willing to help people in need, and always quick to show everyone that they could be the best too.
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