Wisdom learned in the past year

For the past year and three months, my life has had a little career path change, and I've been in West Texas working in the oilfields.

I noticed after a month or so of working around roustabouts and pulling unit crews and pumpers that there is a lot of wisdom out here that has been expressed in ways, I'd not thought of. I started writing them down when I'd hear them so I could . . .hopefully . . .make a learning experience out of this time, instead of just hard work and sweat.

Here for your learning experience is what I've gleaned in a year:

Don't do card tricks with the same guys you play poker with.

Always drink upstream from the herd.

Don't say I told you so.

Once you get started, all you like is finishing up.

Don't take nothing, unless you can use it. And then take 2 in case you loose 1.

You can't make a bowl of chicken salad from a pile of chicken s$%t.

Make sure you are nice to everybody on the way up, cuz you might need a friend on your way back down.

Treat your hands like you'd like to be treated.

We'd better take that before someone steals it?

If you like seein rainbows, you gotta be willin to see some rain.

A punctual schedule in the oil field means we must have overlooked doing something.

Be sure and work for someone that's going to pay you.

They sure can't tell you something to do, if they can't find you.

Don't borrow money to drill a dry hole.

The world doesn't owe you a living. It was here first.

The best way to make a million in the oil field is to start off with ten million.

If you know they aren't going to pay anyway, there's no harm in quoting them a really good deal. Just don't do it.

Always listen to the working hand on the rig floor. Even that little weevil might have a better way to do something.

5 Geologists agreeing on an idiotic idea, doesn't mean it's still not idiotic.

Give the hardest job to the laziest guy. He will damn sure figure out the simplest way to do it.

Don't open up a can or worms unless you also know how to get them back in the can.

Wrenches
Wrenches work best if you take the time to get your fingers out of them first.
If you respect his fingers with the wrench in your hands, he'll respect yours when he's got the wrench.

tighty righty. Lucy lefty.

Pride in yourself don't help momma buy the groceries. Pride in your job gets you a paycheck to give her.

Double check the plunger catcher before you open it up above your head.

Don't work on the rig floor downwind from the operator who likes to chew or dip.

If you can eat when you're hungry and sit on the pot when you need to, most every other problem seems to work itself out.

Be very careful about whose toes you step on today because they may be connected to the ass you have to kiss tomorrow.

80 hour work weeks are ok, but take off on Sunday.

You will never get to the bottom of the hole if you turn the bit backwards.

Dying early is not the equivalent to early retirement.

You can't listen to music and work good at the same time. Music will distract you a little. And a little distraction can make you a little bit dead.