Mistakes… I’ve Made A Few!

I had 3 people helping pick Gary’s farm and clean up my farm for inspection. A neighbor suggested a guy who answered his Craigslist ad, Jonathan.

I called Jonathan on Thursday and he said I could meet him in town, so I headed north. He was sitting in the Taco Bell with his suitcase and backpack. His story was interesting to say the least.

He had been working on one of those cruise ships which goes inter-island carrying passengers. He was not enthralled with the working conditions and after a few weeks of going island to island, he decided to drop anchor! He ended up in Kona with the thought to stay a few days and perhaps head back to the mainland. I caught up with him his second day on the island and found him personable and hired him for some cleanup work on my farm. I also found him a place to stay while he helped out. While friends and co-workers told him he would be homeless and jobless. Within 24 hours he had a job and a place to stay!

He is a very good worker and has helped me get the farm ready for my lessee inspection, which determines if I will get one of the new 35 year leases. The one drawback is that he is young and doesn’t get a lot of my jokes. At least I have someone to talk to. I tell jokes to the dogs but somehow they just never get the punchline.

I thought the inspection was this morning but I never saw the guy, so perhaps he is coming Thursday.

So Jonathan bought a moped (almost a motorcycle), because he was offered a better and more full-time position up the road in a few days. Unfortunately, the moped needs a bit of work and stopped on him tonight. I drove up to help and was able to get a friend to bring a horse trailer by to rescue the vehicle. As I have a bit more street knowledge (meaning that I have made my share of mistakes), I have to be careful not to try to be overbearing in my suggestions. I tell what I think and how I would do things and give people the basis of my suggestions, but have to be careful not to try to control people with my ideas. I am not always right and often times my suggestions are old-fashioned. One way we learn is by taking in information, making a decision and seeing if the outcome is what we expected. IfF not, we change our actions and adjust our decision-making. Certainly I have have made my share of mistakes and would hate to think someone made the same ones.

My younger Sister and I don’t have any kids of our own, but we watch a lot of Dr Phil and we think we would make good parents. In my case, I can practice on my workers without any worry that if they turn out evil, I won’t have to worry that they will spike my pudding to get my inheritance!

Anyway, We learn by our mistakes and if we don’t repeat them, we are better people.