That old couple in Omaha who watched me install their whole living room carpet

They sat on kitchen chairs in the doorway the entire 6 hours, and the wife kept handing me glasses of lemonade. At the end, the husband shook my hand and said 'son, you work like my daddy did' which is probably the best compliment I've ever gotten on a job.

3 comments

3 Comments

jadej501mo ago

And that line about working like his daddy did just hits DIFFERENT. It's not about money or speed you know, it's about the old standards of taking pride in your work and actually caring about the result. Those older folks who grew up during the depression or the war years they can spot a fake from a mile away when it comes to work ethic. The fact that she kept bringing you lemonade the whole time shows they were raised right too, the kind of hospitality that just doesn't exist much anymore. That handshake and that compliment probably meant more than any tip or bonus could.

riverh491mo ago

Yeah exactly. Always bring your own tools too, shows you mean business.

brianreed1mo ago

My buddy Mike did a similar job for this 90-year-old lady in Kansas City. She paid him in homemade apple pie and told him he was the only person who didn't scratch her floors. He still talks about that pie like it was the best paycheck he ever got.