Thursday, April 2, 2009

Size Matters Not



I got this pic from my good old Friend Travis. Notice the exceptionally small looking right arm on said Friend. I couldn't take my eyes off it! Falling victim to strange lens perception, Travis' right arm has now fallen victim to this odd story. Enjoy!

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Depending on the job, it's generally a good idea to work in some type of a team. It doesn't always have to be a large team, but let's face it; at least two heads are better than one. That leaves only the smallest team size, a pair, in most cases. We see it all the time. Beat cops generally patrol with a partner, a sales pairing may head out to take some business' money, and when one arm just isn't enough to pull the weight, it enlists the help of its trusted counterpart on the other side.

Edward "Lefty" Pendleshoes was in the prime of his career. He didn't work for just one outfit, however, and his career has always involved just getting by and finding odd jobs to get the bills paid. The key to his success was actually in his trusted partner, Johan "Righty" Ingersol.

The pair met one fateful day when Lefty was so very young. There was a sparkling bottle of formula dead ahead, and the orders from above were to acquire the bottle, bring it close, and await further instructions. Upon getting the order, Lefty shot into action and went straight for the target. Lefty was new at this, but had an amazing level of determination. He got to the bottle and very quickly realized that he may have bitten off much more than he could chew.

His first attempt simply knocked it over. After a slight pause to survey the new scene, and a quick moment to collect himself, Lefty went back after his mission. This time, he was able to get around the cylinder but was unable to do much more than move it around without actually lifting it up. Nearing the point of exhaustion, Lefty took one look up and witnessed the arrival of his soon to be inseparable partner. With a quick nod of acknowledgement to each other, Lefty and Righty wasted no time in using each other's unique skill set to not only right the fallen bottle, but further the mission to completion by perfectly lifting it to the appropriate altitude, where they rested shortly and awaited further instructions.

From that moment on, Lefty and Righty became legends in their field. Wonderfully spun yarns about their exploits quickly made their way through the community, but they never let the fame cloud their vision. The team motored along for nearly five years before an event took place that would shatter any future dreams of perfection. Lefty began to notice that Righty wasn't always there when he needed him. It wasn't a big deal at first, but it soon became clear to Lefty that he was carrying far more of the load than necessary for a well oiled machine like the team of old.

Lefty got the heartbreaking news at 2:30 in the afternoon one day. Coming from out of nowhere, Lefty found himself in the possession of a very serious piece of documentation from the Front Office. Scouring the document, he discovered why Righty just wasn't the same anymore. Righty had developed a quite severe case of scoliosis, and as a result he would never be able to grow into a full sized and able bodied member of the team, and because of his affliction, Righty was to be medically discharged from service.

Taking the news rather hard, Lefty found himself taking a three week sabbatical and fell into a devastatingly dark and deep depression. His three weeks turned into three months before Lefty had the courage to step out of his pain filled shoes and back into harsh real world that awaited him. He was instantly welcomed back into the fold, and when paperwork came his way about a new partner detail, he didn't even look at it. He told his superiors that he would work with no other partner, and demanded Righty back. Lefty would not leave a brother in arms, and claimed he owed his very existence to the past he and Righty had shared. Upon hearing the news, Righty had no words and shed a single tear, as he and Lefty shared a mighty embrace.

Lefty and Righty would go on to have many more adventures, and became the tightest, and most effective team ever imagined. Their success in spite the odds, should be a deep lesson for us all, and an inspiration never to forget. Godspeed to you, Righty and Lefty.