I was working on a machine trying to fix a problem buried in a maze of hoses and harnesses under a lot of access ladders, platforms and decking.
The customer was watching. I resolutely wormed my way under the overhead stuff, and finally, by
Dan Anderson has plenty of tools but one of the most valuable he finds is within
stretching and reaching as far as I could, was able to touch my fingers on the components I needed to fix.
I can’t say that my position was actually painful, but it was far from comfortable. But after much effort, I was able to tell the customer standing somewhere outside the machine that, “Yes, I’ll be able to get it fixed.”
It was at that moment I heard the customer working a ratchet wrench above my head. He removed a large panel from over my head and shoulders, and sunlight flooded down on me. He reached down and tapped the handle of the ratchet wrench on the components my fingers were barely touching and asked, “Would it be any easier to reach from up here?”
Yes, it would. Yes, it was, and yes, I felt stupid for almost making the repairs more difficult than they needed to be. Once again I was reminded that humility is an important tool in my tool chest.
— Dan Anderson