Delivery day

Somewhere around 1985, I remember watching a TV show with my kids called "The A Team". It was an absurd (but fun) show about a team of misfit soldier of fortune types with George Peppard as the leader and the inimitable Mr. T. Little to do with the woodworking business, I know. But the George Peppard character had a signature expression that used every time one of their wild schemes actually worked. He would say, "I love it when a plan comes together."

That is how it feels to me when I deliver a project, especially if it is a large and complex project that has taken months (or even years) to design, debug, build, finish, deliver and get installed. That is a most satisfying time for me. Seeing all of that worry and stress and hard physical work come together into a coherent whole, seeing the look of satisfaction on the client's face (and, not to mention, getting the completion payment), and enjoying the good feeling one gets from a job well done. Those things make me think it just might all be worth it.

I am writing this from a construction trailer (actually a pretty nice little travel trailer) where I am spending the night before heading home to finish up the rest of this job. It's a big project and I'm delivering it in stages so I will have several more of these "overnights" yet before it is completed. But tonight I will sleep well. I know everything fits (was there ever any doubt?) and the customers are happy with my work and that my truck didn't break down on the way and will most likely get me home without any problems tomorrow. I love it when a plan comes together.

D.D.