Nothing Is Routine
By Thad Plumley
The wife of a friend of mine went to the doctor for a routine procedure on an afternoon like millions of us do from time to time.
I didn’t know about it. I mean why would my friend take the time to tell me? It was routine, after all.
I found out about the appointment three days later in a morning email. The procedure had gone horribly wrong, and his wife had been rushed to the hospital where she passed away.
I’m still stunned.
Sometimes you get reminders about life when you least expect it. That was one for me. Nothing in life is routine.
I’ve been dwelling on the word “routine” a lot since that email rocked my morning. It’s a word that is used often. I’m starting to think it may be overused.
It’s certainly a part of the groundwater industry. You do routine checks of your trucks before they get on the road every morning. This may come after a routine safety meeting or tailgate talk.
You do other routine checks too—tracking miles on tires, hours on certain pieces of equipment, and grease on others. You routinely take your hammers and bits apart when the drilling season winds down for a routine checkup.
Some of you even offer your customers annual maintenance plans where you do routine checks of their water and well systems, offering discounts for parts and labor.
We literally have routines in our jobs. When your crew arrives at a jobsite, it has a routine where different employees handle separate tasks every time, so the job runs efficiently and safely.
You do routine checks of your trucks before they get on the road every morning. This may come after a routine safety meeting or tailgate talk.
Heck, I know my cats think they have trained me on a morning routine that involves feeding them before I begin preparing my own breakfast. Now that I think about it, they’re right.
I kid, . . . but I haven’t stopped thinking about my friend since that email. His tragedy shows that nothing is routine. Deep down in, we know that. Despite all your routines, you’ve had days that are far from perfect.
Despite all the safety talks and reminders, there have been accidents at the jobsite. There have been tire blowouts, pieces of equipment break or not work properly despite the preventative maintenance.
You chalk it up to that’s just part of doing business. But what do you do when the shattered routine involves life?
My friend met his wife when the three of us were bouncing around a crazy college town. Honestly, I don’t remember one without the other. They were together that long. I can’t yet picture my friend having a routine that doesn’t involve her. It always has.
Make holding your loved one close to you part of your daily routine.
Thad Plumley is the editor of WWJ and the director of publications for the National Ground Water Association. He can be reached at tplumley@ngwa.org, or (800) 551-7379, ext. 1594.
