Lessons from a Lineman: Always Move Forward

Last night after dinner my husband started talking about linework. Little did he know, I was actually listening.

Any linewives out there hear me on this one?!🙋🏽‍♀️ A lot of the time I hear “cut ‘n’ kick” and I cut out into la-la land where electricity is black magic and it appears with the flip of a switch and some fairy dust.

Maybe my ears perked up because there were no technical terms, or maybe I was sniffing out blog potential (OK, maybe both!) Either way, I was all ears. My husband, Spanky, started talking about one of the lessons he learned from his grandpa, which has become a pillar in his career as a lineman: Always move forward.

Spank’s grandpa taught him that while fixing fence around the farm and doing other odd jobs, and now my husband’s goal is to always move forward; this means not getting stuck in the head-scratch position. (I’m good at that position! That usually leads to the banging-head-on-door position, which ultimately leads to the fetal position in tears.) The way Spanky moves forward in linework is by taking the necessary steps to get the pole in the ground. First thing’s first. But, even that step can be challenging with hard ground or failing equipment. Still, the goal is to move forward, get the pole in the ground and continue the forward progression.

We can all apply this seemingly simple equation to our lives. It’s easier than it sounds...but it’s not, really. It is just that easy with one step at a time toward the goal—as you continue to always move forward.

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