Old guy at the supply yard taught me a trick I still use 8 years later

I was picking up a load of sacks at Allied Concrete in Phoenix and this retiree named Hank watched me struggle to get a clean edge on a sidewalk form. He just said "wet your float, kid, and quit fighting the concrete" without even looking up from his truck. Has anyone else had a random stranger drop a piece of knowledge that totally changed how you work?

2 comments

2 Comments

sanchez.mia28d ago

Takes a random stranger to show you the simple stuff nobody writes down.

the_mason28d ago

The "simple stuff nobody writes down" bit really got me. I have a whole cabinet full of manuals for stuff I own, but I swear the one thing I actually need help with is figuring out how to fold a fitted sheet. Youtube tutorials exist but they make it look way too easy, like I'm supposed to be a magician or something. I tried once and ended up with a crumpled ball of fabric that looked like a sad animal. So yeah, a random stranger showing me that basic thing would probably save me twenty minutes of frustration.