Pedro

In the mid-’90s I worked at a screen printing shop in Phoenix.

No AC. 110°F outside. The shirt dryers ran at 300°F.

Some took salt tablets to avoid dehydration.

The pressmen worked hard. Eight hours a day, pulling ink.

Pedro was the best. Fast, precise. Almost never made a mistake.

His standards were higher than the company’s — and a misprint cost real money.
I was the production artist, but when things slowed, I folded, boxed, cleaned screens — anything to keep the press moving. Once, I lost 7 pounds in a single shift.

By fall, Pedro and I had gotten to know each other.

One day he said, “I respect you. You know how to work. You’ve got the same standards I do.”

That still chokes me up.

Pedro could outwork me any day. I was never going to catch him at his craft. But I earned his respect.

We weren’t working that hard for the company. We were working for ourselves.
I don’t know what the lesson is —

Maybe it’s this:

Whatever you do, do it with high standards. Someone like Pedro might notice.

And if they don’t?

You will.