© Patty Fitts. All Rights Reserved. Sometimes we start out with the best of intentions and then things just don’t go the way we planned. It’s like the letter the bricklayer wrote to his boss requesting sick leave:
“I arrived at the job after the storm, checked the building out and saw that the top needed repairs. I rigged a hoist and boom, attached the rope to a barrel and pulled bricks to the top.
When I pulled the barrel to the top, I secured the rope at the bottom. After repairing the building, I went back to fill the barrel with the leftover bricks. I went down and released the rope to lower the bricks, and the barrel, which was heavier than I am, jerked me off the ground.
I decided to hang on. Halfway up, I met the barrel coming down and received a blow to the shoulder. I hung on and went to the top, where I hit my head on the boom and caught my fingers in the pulley.
In the meantime, the barrel hit the ground and burst open, throwing bricks all over. This made the barrel lighter than I, and I started down at high speed. Halfway down I met the barrel coming up and received a blow to my shins. I continued down and fell on the bricks, receiving cuts and bruises. At this point I must have lost my presence of mind, because I let go of the rope and the barrel came down and hit me on the head. I respectfully request sick leave.”
I’m sure we all have empathy for this diligent worker. Some days are like that. I’ve heard people say that they are at the end of their rope. We find that often the only answer we can find is just to “tie a knot in the end and hang on.”
Reprinted from Grace Drops, Volume 5 (2007).
“I arrived at the job after the storm, checked the building out and saw that the top needed repairs. I rigged a hoist and boom, attached the rope to a barrel and pulled bricks to the top.
When I pulled the barrel to the top, I secured the rope at the bottom. After repairing the building, I went back to fill the barrel with the leftover bricks. I went down and released the rope to lower the bricks, and the barrel, which was heavier than I am, jerked me off the ground.
I decided to hang on. Halfway up, I met the barrel coming down and received a blow to the shoulder. I hung on and went to the top, where I hit my head on the boom and caught my fingers in the pulley.
In the meantime, the barrel hit the ground and burst open, throwing bricks all over. This made the barrel lighter than I, and I started down at high speed. Halfway down I met the barrel coming up and received a blow to my shins. I continued down and fell on the bricks, receiving cuts and bruises. At this point I must have lost my presence of mind, because I let go of the rope and the barrel came down and hit me on the head. I respectfully request sick leave.”
I’m sure we all have empathy for this diligent worker. Some days are like that. I’ve heard people say that they are at the end of their rope. We find that often the only answer we can find is just to “tie a knot in the end and hang on.”
Reprinted from Grace Drops, Volume 5 (2007).
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