Jeremiah had recently been hired to do maintenance at the Meadowlane Hotel. Despite the harsh economic downturn due to a global pandemic, the hotel was faring well and was in the process of refurbishing some of its oldest suites. His first task was a fairly straightforward one, putting up a closet rod for hangers in all of the renovated rooms.
With two power drills in his hands, he meticulously began his task. Jeremiah had his own system, one system he'd been using for years. One drill was used to start the screws in, while the other was for finishing the job and driving them all the way through. A seemingly redundant method to most, but one that worked for Jeremiah and he was confident in his efficiency.
Midway through his task, a renovation worker walked up to him. Excuse me sir, can I borrow one of those drills? the burly man asked, extending his hand towards the power tool.
Jeremiah, a relatively quiet and private man, simply looked up and gave a firm, yet polite refusal. No, he stated, raising the drill he used for starting screws, I use this drill to start the screw in and, he picked up the other, the other drill to put the screw all the way through.
The renovation worker was taken aback by Jeremiah's dual-drill approach, but simply nodded, acknowledging his work style and went on his way to find another drill.
It might have been his first day at work in Meadowlane Hotel, but Jeremiah's distinct approach to his craft left an impression. By using his unique two-drill system, he was nothing like his new coworkers. As odd as it might have seemed, it marked Jeremiah as a man that was sat in his ways and with no idea what he was doing or talking about. He didn’t even have the traits of a maintenance man.
Despite his first day going smoothly, only time would tell if Jeremiah would stick to his idiosyncratic method, but for now, the closet rod went up straight and strong, with the sound of the two power drills echoing through the room in steady syncopation was a bit weird to the rest of the workers.