Redneck Bar & Grill

A funny thing happened to me at work today.  A co-worker needed me to bring a forklift into the bay and bring down a full lift of plywood.  The lift that I needed to bring down was on the top shelf of the storage bay, approximately 14 feet off the ground.  Unfortunately, there was another lift of plywood on top of the one that I needed.  My first thought was to bring down the top one, set it aside further down the bay, go back, bring down the lift that I needed and put it away where it belonged.

I got my forks under the top lift but when I tried to pick it up I discovered the forklift could not go any higher.  I contemplated the situation for a moment then I thought I should get a different machine with a taller reach.  The customer who was waiting for the plywood had another idea.

Now, I wish to take a moment to explain something about myself.  A while back, I spent two years working (in the service industry) for a woman whom I respected a great deal.  Her personal mantra was, "The customer is always right, even when he’s wrong."  That is an idea that has stayed with me in every job I’ve had since.  I always go out of my way to make the customer happy.

So, when the customer suggested that I try to bring down both lifts at once, I took his advice.  I was going very slow and careful.  I picked up both lifts and started to back up so that I could let them down.  But, just as they were clearing the hole (there were other lifts on either side of the two that I was bringing down) one corner caught and the whole load shifted.  Both lifts of plywood slipped off the side of my forks and tumbled to the ground.

As I watched it happen, reality seemed to slow down just a bit as the two lifts turned over in mid-air then crashed down.  I saw that my co-worker and customer were well out of harms way, I was momentarily worried about his truck but it was also far enough away to be safe.  The customer picked up the 1 single sheet of plywood that he needed and went on his way (with a story that will no doubt grow with each telling) and I cleaned up my mess, told my story to my boss and a number of co-workers (a story I tried to shrink with each telling), and learned a valuable lesson.

Which brings me to the funny part.  Always make sure you have cold Blue Beaver Beer and some sort of comfort food waiting for you at home before you go to work.  "Cause when you have a day like that, you want something at home to comfort you.  And as we all know a Blue Beaver Beer and a pizza are better than a spouse/life partner.