Not Just For the Money

I have been in the wood flooring business for over 50 years.

I have been an employee for wood flooring companies, Flooring Department
 Associate for both Home Depot and Lowe's and as a self-employed installer
 and refinisher.

One of the jobs that totally changed my life's perspective was in Northern
 Virginia. I was working on a house along with a variety of other contractors.
 I mean this house was a wreck. It needed new plumbing, electrical, drywall work,
 wood work, Painting, roofing, and of course wood floors refinished.

The woman who owned the house was very fussy and if something was not done
 to her satisfaction it got done over. Cost didn't seem to even enter into the
 matter.

At the end of the day she was at the house checking out the days progress. It
 had been a long day of wood flooring work and perhaps being tired caused me to
 be so bold as to ask her a personal question.

I asked her why with her being so fussy why she bought such a wreck of a house.
 She laughed at my question. She said it was interesting that I should ask
 her that. She was proud of being fussy.

She explained that few people would admit it but she was a bureaucrat for
 the Federal Government and she got paid very well for what she did. Money
 was not a problem at all for her.

The problem she said was that her job involved "shuffling papers all day" and
 just being a step in the process. She never got to see the end result of
 anything she did.

She said she looks for houses that need a lot of TLC and have been neglected.
 She said she would give the house we were working on EVERYTHING it needed.
 She said she needed to physically see something being accomplished in her life.

When the house we were working on was complete she would sell it and find
 another house in need of a lot of attention.

I pondered on that conversation that night and many times since. I think there
 is a basic human need to see something tangible being accomplished in one's
 life. I am so lucky that that is built into my job.

I now teach do it yourselfers how to do install, sand and refinish their own
 wood floors onsite. Many of my students are also just "shuffling papers all
 day". I smile when I see them getting the satisfaction of making wood floors
 beautiful. Several of my students have told me that I teach a lot more than
 just wood floors.