<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1" = http-equiv=Content-Type> <META content="MSHTML 5.00.2314.1000" name=GENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=#ffffff> <DIV>Hi list,</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I thought I'd share a couple of experiences I had in a rebuilding = shop, kind of relating to some stringing operations that were happening, but = more about some events amongst people.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>It's kind of long, and if you're only interested in the technical = piano stuff, you'll probably want to just hit the delete button.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Anyway...</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>We had an old Kohler & Campbell spinet piano that was getting restrung... I know, I know, you don't have to say it... but it was = getting done anyway.  There was a guy in the shop who normally did just basic = work, some hardware polishing, and some very basic regulation and repairs who = normally took care of a lot of the low end work on just such type pianos, that we = decided might benefit from the experience of restringing a piano.  So we = let him go at it.  (He had been a helper on many restringing projects, so he = was quite familiar with the operation.) He worked at it for several hours, but = ended up misreading the stringing scale we had made, and ended up stringing about = half of the top section wrong.  Well, it was almost his quitting time when = he made this discovery, and he was very discouraged by it, and didn't want to = continue with the project.  Since we had a deadline, another tech and I = decided that we would work diligently for the rest of the day, and finish this thing = up right.  So we started.  We removed about half of the piano = wire, and began again.  I started out winding the wire on the tuning pins and = pounding them in, while my friend and co-worker kept me supplied with = the appropriate wire.  Everything seemed to be going fine until I = realized that I had skipped the very first pin I should have started on.  = :-(  I told him just as soon as I noticed.  He would have been perfectly = justified if he had read me the riot act, and refused to work any farther with me = on this project.  He was actually the head of the shop at the time, and = could probably have required me to fix what I had messed up on my own = time.  That was a very vulnerable moment for me.  I messed up.  I did it wrong.  It was my fault.  What did he do?  He very kindly = said something like, "well, let's see what we can do..." and we proceeded to = undo all that we had done, and start over.  We finished the job without = further incident, and enjoyed each other's company as well.  A couple of = years later, I reminded him of this whole thing and thanked him for his = kindness towards me.  He said he didn't even remember it.  I did.  = I probably will for a long time.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>A couple of years after, another thing happened.  By this = time, I was in charge of the shop.  There's an older fellow who was (still is) = working there that has been there for at least 20 years, maybe much more.  = He's in his 80's, 83 or 84, I think.  Anyway, he's a helper.  He's a = good worker, and is happiest when he's being useful and helpful.  = Unfortunately, his eyesight isn't what it used to be and it's sometimes hard for him to = do the things he used to do so well.  Anyway, we were stringing a piano, a = grand this time.  We were about 3/4 of the way through the plain wire = strings when he started having trouble seeing which hitch pin the wire was = supposed to be wrapped around.  He missed the first one, and we caught it right = away.  So rather than trying to fix that one, I just cut the wire = off, and got a fresh piece for another string.  It doesn't take long.  = I wasn't really upset.  It happens.  But after it happened a few more = times, he got very discouraged, and said "maybe I should just quit, you'd probably = be better off without me."  It was one of his vulnerable = moments.  I suppose I could have told him to find something else to do, or told him = how incompetent he was, but I didn't want to do that.  He's a good worker.  He's a good person.  What we did, was, we took a = little break.  We had a cup of iced tea.  Basically, I told him = "everything will be just fine.  We all mess up.  It's ok." I told him = about the first incident, the one I told you about above, and how my other friend = was so kind to me.  I told him not to worry, and that I appreciated him = helping me with the stringing.  We went back to work after a few minutes, and = he helped me finish without another problem of any kind.  I don't = remember the piano.  But I do remember my friend.  </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I hope that when you encounter those vulnerable moments in your = life, whether you're the one who's encountering it in someone else, or whether = it's you who's vulnerable, I hope that kindness will be with you.  It's sometimes easy to say things that are "right" and "true" that can cut to = the heart of the people we are with, many times, people we love.  We = all have those vulnerable moments.  They're a part of life.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Be kind to one another.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Best wishes to all,</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Brian Trout</DIV> <DIV>Quarryville, PA</DIV> <DIV><A = href="mailto:btrout@desupernet.net">btrout@desupernet.net</A></DIV> <DIV> </DIV></BODY></HTML>