In Front of Others

The pole inspection work I do can be really hard and physically demanding and sometimes I wonder why I do it. But I have to say that overall I really enjoy it because the work is both challenging and satisfying, and the results are important in terms of providing safety and reducing property damage.

My latest project involves checking the light poles at several local High Schools, including the Football Field, Tennis Courts, Parking Lots, and Pool Areas. Schools are especially critical areas because the last thing I want is for a light pole to fall on a child. But the work can be draining and after 5 hours in the hot sun on Saturday, kneeling over and over again on blazing hot concrete, I was ready to go home.

Fortunately, I had one of my sons helping me because we had 90 light poles to check in one day. By the time we got to the last two poles in the pool area, we were both pretty tired. It’s always the last pole that’s the worst (Murphy’s Law), so of course it was a total struggle to remove the pole base cover. It took us 20 minutes, but when we finally did remove the cover, we discovered the anchor bolts that support the pole were completely corroded and disintegrating. It was an obvious safety hazard, hidden by the base cover, and at 30’ high and 800 pounds, that pole could do some very serious damage. Not to mention the pool area was filled with young kids swimming and playing in the pool.

I was still bent over working on that last pole when I heard a woman’s voice. I looked up and saw her standing nearby with her little boy. She said, “Thank you for working so hard to keep our school nice!” She probably thought I was a maintenance person sweeping up dirt (instead of a certified ultrasonic metals inspector checking for safety hazards). But I don’t think it matters what I was doing. She simply wanted to make sure I knew my efforts were appreciated. A kindness that caught me by surprise!

Her simple act of kindness and thoughtfulness had a positive effect on me… it brightened my day and made the hard work I was doing that much more meaningful. But I think there’s another important benefit to her simple act of kindness. I bet when that little boy grows up he remembers how thoughtful his Mom was to others, he will someday… copy her example. It’s not just what you say and do, it’s what you say and do in front of others!

Kindness is just love with its work boots on.

~ Karen McCullah