I Must Do Something

Doing the right thing wasn’t always obvious to me as a young child. I’m sure I wanted to and meant to do the right thing, but as a child I needed to be taught right from wrong. Fortunately, I was blessed with parents who felt very strongly about always doing the right thing. But they didn’t stop there.

My Dad was a huge influence in my life. He believed in doing the right thing, but he also believed that we were supposed to serve God by serving others. I watched him live his life that way, always doing the right thing, but also always going above and beyond. He took pride in his work (and in his family) and If something needed to be done, he would always do it, and then do just a little bit more. He was the kind of man who would show up early, stay late, and give you the shirt off his back if you asked.

And that got me thinking… Is having character a genetic trait or something learned? More importantly, if you don’t always do right, can you change and become a person of good character? I’m not sure I know the answer to that question, but I do know that I am tested on a regular basis and last Friday was no exception.

My new company, Sundown Inspection Services, uses ultrasonic technology to test parking lot light poles for rust and corrosion. (By the way, a few years before he died, my Dad helped me develop the technology that we use today to test metal poles.) On Friday I was called out to a large industrial complex in the Mission Gorge area of San Diego. The complex was pretty old, and there were 24 poles to check, most of which were extremely rusted at the base and in need of immediate replacement.

When I got to the last pole, I couldn’t believe what I saw. The pole was on the perimeter of the parking lot, on a slight slope, totally hidden in a grove of trees. The base of the pole, which is where I do my testing, was fully encapsulated with tree branches making it hard to even see. Our contract says that, “If we cannot access a light pole, we will not complete the inspection, but will return at an additional charge when the accessibility issued has been resolved.” I stood there for a few minutes thinking about the problem. There’s only one pole left to do, but I have the right to leave and charge more money for a second trip. However, if I stay and somehow figure out a way to complete the job, the customer saves a lot of money. So in my head, the question pops up, “What would Dad do?” The answer was obvious!

“I must do something” always solves more 

problems than “Something must be done.” 

~ Anonymous