Pansie Hands

For the past few years I have slowly phased myself out of the hands on part of the operation and I now take care of the planning and coordinating of the work and workers. Today I pulled up to a project that has been quite a thorn in our side for the past few months. This project is a new high rise in the downtown area. It is a little bit bigger than the crews I have to do the work, but fortunately my guys are stretching and growing and will be better for it in the end. We have been extraordinarily busy over the past six months and I feel like I have been neglecting this job to some degree, (I have about 5-8 other jobs operating as well.) So today I made time to go and give the fellas a little boost by working along side them. I'm not a great conversationalist or communicator, but I can speak 'work'. I like to get to know my guys by working with them. I think when I'm dirty, greasy, and sweaty I'm in my element.

So I pulled up on site, talked a little bit with my two foremen, and asked if I it would help if I chipped the hard cement off of one of the machines. I sometimes ask questions that I know the answer to, but I want to make it seem like I'm asking permission. They see right through this, I'm sure. So I grabbed a digging bar, keep in mind that it is some where in the 110 degree area and this bar had been out in the heat all day so it was HOT! Not wanting to look like a green horn I ignored how hot it was and started pounding away, knowing I was being watched. Almost all the guys came up and asked if they could take over, but I declined their brown-nosed offers and kept at it. I worked at it for the rest of the day, it felt good.

The shock hit me when I got back into my truck and noticed how dirty I was. It had been a while since I had been so dirty. I grabbed the steering wheel and felt blisters all over my hands! Blisters? How embarrassing!! Oh well, blisters will go away.