One time I stole a line from the Marines.

Years ago I was training a guy that had a limited education.

He was fine with the mechanics end of things but was slow on the paperwork end of it. He said he might just as well give up.

I replied he WAS going to learn this and that "I will not give up on you long after you have given up on yourself!"

A couple of hours later he said to me, "You mean that this oil gets bigger when it gets warmer and smaller when it gets colder?"

"YES!" I shot back.

"And it is all based on what it would be if it was 60 degrees?"

"YES!"

"And we are trying to figure out how much oil is on board if it was 60 degrees?"

"YES!"

"This stuff is 88 degrees so we're trying to find out how much it would shrink if we cooled it to 60 degrees?"

"YES!"

I had told him that several times but it apperently had not sunk in but maybe I described it in a way that was hard for him to understand.

Then we went through s couple of imaginary loads and he started picking things up. It was kind of slow at first and later I made the problems harder and harder to solve. He learned.

Later he asked me why I didn't give up on him. "Because you are worth it," I replied.

I imagine he's still out there. He knows who he is. 

Some time later he left the company over family issues and took a job as a shoreside tankerman down south somewhere.

 

To find out why the blog is pink just cut and paste this: http://piccoloshash.blogspot.com/2009/12/my-feminine-side-blog-stays-pink.html NO ANIMALS WERE HARMED IN THE WRITING OF TODAY'S ESSAY