As a young teenager, I vividly remember preaching to my dad about why he should never pay somebody for a job that was not finished. He did it all the time. And jobs never got finished. Never would I make that same mistake, right? But adulting is hard sometimes, mistakes are made, and lessons are learned.
A few weeks ago, a tree guy was in the neighborhood taking down some troublesome branches and trees. He was reasonably priced and seemed like a decent dude so I hired him to take down a bunch of overgrown and hazardous trees in my yard. He would chop off the large limbs, stack them up neatly in a pile, out of the way, until he could come back and grab all the lumber. Or so he said. Well, he did come. He did chop down some trees (Even the hammock tree, which he said he would leave...grrrrrr!). The first part of the job was done.....and I went to pay him. Why? I don't know. Because I am trusting and Believe someone will do something they say they will do. I gave him his cash with his word that he would be back to collect the massive mess he left behind.
Fast forward two weeks, several texts, several promises to come "tomorrow", one ominous blizzard approaching, and no word from Mr. Tree Guy. Let it be known that in all of my texts, I was careful and cautious of my wording in case we ended up on Judge Judy...I didn't want to say anything that Judge Judy would scold me for. I also made sure I made several references to having paid him so that that could not be disputed. After all, I got no receipt and have no evidence of having even paid him since I had a load of cash at home (Bill paid me back). So I was making my case for Judge Judy in text form (I think I would win!).
Our yard is very soft. Its not meant to have several hundred pounds of wood laying all over so this was very concerning, causing sleepless nights and frantic texts for him to come before the expected 20 inches of snow fell. No word.
So what does one do? One comes home from work and watches Little House on the Prairie. Well, poor pregnant Laura is tending the the farm during a drought when Manly (Oh how I hate that nickname!) was out of town earning a whopping $150. Laura hauled buckets and buckets of water during a rare Minnesota heatwave in order to save her orchard.
The wood in our yard was not going to move itself, and the tree guy certainly made it clear he was not going to finish his job. So out I went. Inspired by Laura....and my own anal-ness about having a tidy yard. How in the WORLD am I going to mow in the spring time?!
I hauled tons of wood! Piled it in inconspicuous areas of the yard that would cause the least amount of damage. Both to the yard and to the eyes. Some of the pieces had to be hundreds of pounds, and those are the ones I rolled away best I could. All the physical labor (two straight hours) helped to expel all the rage I was feeling from this situation. Two neighbor boys did come by (dressed in crocks, shorts, and short sleeve t-shirts in the middle of December with a blizzard approaching) and helped a great deal. They didn't last too long due to their attire and age 10 muscles, but they certainly earned their $20.
Stone Soup. In the Little House episode, Ma tells the story to the school children about Stone Soup....how a bunch of people can come together to accomplish something. All the children went to Laura's to help her with her orchard. And that is exactly what I experienced! The neighborhood children came to help me out. Together we got all the wood moved minutes before it started to freezing rain. Something else to be thankful for.
In the midst of a crummy situation, beauty also exists. A wonderful wife who is so forgiving for my errors in judgment and who supported me during my rageful time, neighbors who came together to help us out, and other neighbors who I know got our back when times are not easy. Its heartwarming to see people pull together to help each other out and to celebrate what is good and true in this world.
Lets not forget about Lessons Learned here. So many lessons.
One). Never pay for a job that is not complete. This lesson I have always known, but now I have learned.
Two). Get a contract. In writing.
Three). Never pay in cash.
Four). Get the guy's name. I don't know his name or the name of his company! What a fool!!
Five). Don't steal. Sometimes I have this habit of stealing things from the store...like cat litter, cat food, cherries....Its always been justified that I am not stealing from a human, but I am. Plus Karma. I do not like this feeling of being taken advantage of. Its gross. Its not something I want to support. Just be honest and real. I bet if I acted more accordingly, Karma would also act accordingly.
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