.......I always wonder why the USA has a problem with illegals living in this country. Growing up in the country we dealt with trespassers, you know what that taught me?......if you shoot at trespassers they tend to not come back (or stay a very long time)
Respect is a two way street.... but firmness is remembered. Of course, so is being soft.....if you are ok with being walked on....you will be.
The people that matter respect honesty and hard work...... those that don't, seldom have either themselves.
Measure twice, cut once...... says the guy that has learned that lesson countless times.....
Something lost, is closer than you think....... How many times have you seen a body discovered just feet from where the person went missing when the search has expanded for miles...... Same thing applies to you cell phone and keys.
Every thing you pay good money for.....can be purchased for less. When I worked for Tyson Foods decades ago the chicken shipped to different tiers of grocery stores was all the same.....except for the packaging. Did you know Girl Scout cookies are the same cookies they sell at Dollar Tree........it is true, the $6 per box cookies you go nuts over sell for a $1 at the discount store......
Ford Rangers and Mazda trucks were made on the same assembly line, the price was up to $2,000 different......but the trucks were the same.
Many items made in China are even better examples...... I have seen $10 sunglasses sell for over $200.....that were the same.
Snap on Tools....are high quality that many mechanics work with every day, spending thousands of dollars to perform their jobs. Ironic, that many of the Snap on Tools.....are 100% the same as ICON tools sold at Harbor Freight.....
I once used the business model of trying to be the cheapest company around. The flaw, customers that shop price are only true to you if you undervalue your services...... I no longer compete on price, and I have never been busier......
What is the most important lesson I have ever learned.....if you ever feel a rush of air by your ear (DUCK)..... well besides the sound of rushing air I would say the most useful lesson I have ever learned was this:.......once you see something wrong, it is nearly impossible to see it correctly. The same applies to over looking an item.....if you have lost your keys, and have over looked them.....you will continue to over look them until you can wipe your memory and look at the situation with fresh eyes.
Back in my investigator years some hard lessons were learned because I had over looked something.....and then took forever to see the world the way it truly was...... When you completely trust someone, a lot of people can't imagine their trusted friend/spouse/employer/ect would ever do then wrong..... Learning to question every single thing, people included is a very important lesson in life.
I once worked with a person that I on many days trusted with my life. We went into situations guns out....I trusted him completely. Then he cheated on his wife.... That will make you question a man........
If you are reading this and wondering....why would you begin to question a person because he was cheating on his wife.... here is why. She slept with him.....bore him children..... knew his darkest secrets and fears..... If he didn't have her back 100%....why would I think he had mine...... His infidelity made me look around.... question every thing..... and with those fresh eyes I finally saw things I hated to see.... In the end, my good friend was not......
I always wondered if he had a price that would have cost me.... was there a magic number that would outweigh our friendship...... It is a hard thought, I watched him wade into some deep shit to pull me out of trouble..... but, I watched him betray the mother of his children for a hotel maid...... My open eyes caught him stealing...... a man that wore a white hat, a man that was supposed to be one of the good ones was a common thief....... hmm, looking back I question, was that the day my innocents died?
These days my life is boring.....gone are the days of sneaking through the darkness to capture video...... I haven't peaked into a bedroom window in a very long time. In 2026 if I have any mafia friends that need help I'm just making insects go away..... well, and a racoon at times...... But, there are still lessons from the past I would do well to remember.......
In the last week I have spent hours......hours working on my lawn mower. I have googled and youtubed the problem to death. I have looked at Amazon countless times...... only to fail and fail again.
If it was just me.....I would think WTH,.....but a couple of engineering boys failed right along with me. Then I got to thinking about my friend, cheating on his wife...... A narc, trusted with a gun and the power of arrest that would eventually die a broken man, shunned by the white hats when the world saw him as little more than a common thief and an abuser.... When I finally looked at him, truly looked at him I saw what he really was.....realizing he had fooled everyone, but the warning signs had been there all the time......
Armed with those thoughts I took one more look at my lawnmower and realized, "......Jeff you are a freaking idiot.....here is the problem - right in front of your face. The issue is I saw something wrong and hours...no days later I finally saw what I had seen incorrectly time and time again......."
My advice for you is simple, begin each day seeing the world like it's the very first time you have seen anything...... Don't assume...... I almost went through a list of things to not assume.....but then I realized a list isn't needed.....simply just DON"T ASSUME anything!
